ST. ANN, MO — A St. Ann police officer on Saturday (Feb. 17) shot and injured a man who authorities say pointed a firearm equipped with a laser light at the officer during an emergency call for service.
St. Ann police and EMS personnel responded around 8 a.m. for someone experiencing stomach pains at an apartment in the 4100 block of Parc Chalet Drive, officials said.
Once inside, police said, a man came out of a bedroom and pointed a handgun equipped with a laser light at an officer in full uniform. In response, the officer fired one shot at the man, striking him in the right arm, North County Police Cooperative Maj. Ron Martin said in a news release.
The injured man was taken to a hospital for treatment and transferred to police custody.
Davion T. Swinson, 22, of the 3400 block of Hartford Street in the Tower Grove East neighborhood, was charged with attempted assault on a law enforcement officer. Officials believe Swinson's girlfriend may have lived at the apartment where the shooting happened.
According to court records, Swinson allegedly pointed the laser light and firearm directly at the officer "while telling his girlfriend to get out of the way."
A judge set bond for Swinson's release at $500,000, cash only.
In an interview on Sunday, Swinson's grandmother said they were in the process of hiring an attorney. She said the incident caught their family by surprise. She said her grandson is a musician without a criminal history. She said he'd previously gone to the hospital a few times for stomach problems.
The St. Ann Police Department requested the North County Police Cooperative to conduct the investigation of the officer-involved shooting.
On Sunday morning, Maj. Martin said by telephone that it's common for EMS and police to respond at the same time to sick calls. He said the incident was captured by body camera footage that would be released at a later date. He said they don't want to jeopardize the ongoing investigation.
"We still have some loose ends," he said.
The shooting happened at Avion Place Apartments, which has several buildings on the eastern edge of St. Ann near Edmundson.
Kevin Solis, who lives across the hallway from where the incident occurred, said in an interview that he'd heard "a lot of aggressive knocking" beforehand. He said he opened his door and saw what looked like two paramedics and two men in plain clothing — one dressed in gray, another in black — standing in front of apartment No. 7.
"I wouldn't have recognized them as cops if they would have asked for my license," said Solis, 24.
He said he later heard a loud bang coming from the apartment in question and saw police searching the area for possible contraband.
A neighbor who lives one level below said in an interview that he'd heard a lot of police radio chatter and screaming to get a woman out of the apartment.
Police said the officer who fired the shot is 49 years old and has 28 years of police experience.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact North County Police Cooperative investigators at 314-428-7374 or 314-499-6090.
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