April 24--ST. LOUIS -- An off-duty city police officer was fatally shot early this morning as he attempted to break up a gun battle outside a downtown St. Louis nightclub, police said.
Daryl Hall, 34 years old and a five-year department veteran, heard gunshots about 3 a.m. today while he was a patron inside The Label at Fourth and Gratiot streets, just blocks from Busch Stadium, police said.
Hall pulled out his own gun and ran outside to find at least two men firing guns on an adjacent parking lot, police said.
Hall, assigned to the police Housing Authority unit, was shot at least three times, police said. He was pronounced dead at St. Louis University hospital.
A 30-year-old black male also was killed in the gun battle, said police spokesperson Schron Jackson. His identity has not been released.
A third man was being interviewed by police about his possible connection with the shooting, Jackson said.
It was not immediately clear if Hall was able to fire his weapon. Three guns were recovered from the scene.
A co-owner of The Label, Chris Little, issued a statement noting Hall was a regular patron at the bar.
"This tragedy has deeply hurt us as well as shed new light on the extreme issues that our community is facing each day with ignorance and crime," Little said.
