A St. Louis police officer who was shot in the head Saturday night while responding to a call has died, local law enforcement officials confirmed late Sunday.
Fox13 reports Officer Tamarris L. Bohannon, 29, had been with the department for almost four years.
Bohannon was responding to a 9-1-1 call for a reported shooting victim in the Tower Grove South neighborhood when a gunman shot him in the head. The assailant then barricaded himself inside a family residence, shooting a second officer in the leg who was trying to assist Bohannon, according to KSDK.
The shooter then ordered the people inside the residence to leave and held off police for 12-hours before surrendering to officers early Sunday morning, St. Louis Today reported. He was not identified by police.
Bohannon was “affectionately known” by his District Two squad as “Bo.” He leaves behind a wife, and three children, all under the age of 10, according to KSDK.
In a Twitter post, the St. Louis Police Department showed Officer Bohannon’s photo.
Other public officials reacted to Bohannon’s death.
“I am heartbroken over the line of duty death of Officer Tamarris L. Bohannon of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. I’ve had the privilege of spending some time with his family under these extraordinarily challenging circumstances,” said St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson in a statement.
“They’re wonderful people and immensely proud of the way he selflessly served and protected our community with distinction and honor for more than three years. This is a horrific reminder of the dangers our brave men and women willingly face every day to keep us safe. I ask that everyone please continue to keep Officer Bohannon, his loved ones, friends and colleagues, and the entire St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in your thoughts and prayers. This is a terrible, senseless tragedy,” the statement continued.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson also tweeted his condolences.
“Teresa and I are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of one of our @SLMPD Officers,” he wrote. “An arrest has been made. Officers across Missouri protect us every day without hesitation and they and their families deserve our support. #BacktheBlue”
St Louis Police Chief John Hayden reported that these two officers are the 7th and 8th to be shot since June 1st of this year in the city, according to Law Enforcement Today.
“Naturally, it’s very disturbing. We’re just trying to do our jobs and so our officers’ cope,” he explained. “We comfort one another. We seek assistance from counseling but, at the end of the day, we’re trying to cope through a very trying summer. It just seems very difficult, very difficult.”
“Our officers have been going through a lot this summer, as you know. We’ve had a surge in violence,” Hayden added. “These officers, all they’re trying to do is do their job and help a person that’s wounded, and they come under gunfire themselves.”
Social Media Outcry Over Officer’s Death
St. Louis has seen its share of BLM protests, and some critics are arguing that black police lives should matter to the movement too.
Social media users like journalist Miranda Devine tweeted condemnation, arguing that black police lives don’t matter to BLM-Antifa activists due to their repeated chants to “f*** the police”, “abolish police”, and “defund the police”.
Devine tweeted, “Officer Tamarris L. Bohannon was a father of three. His black life didn’t matter to BLM-Antifa…”
Meanwhile in Chicago, two police officers and a suspect were wounded in an exchange of gunfire during a traffic stop, Law Enforcement Today reported.
Both officers are expected to survive.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot addressed the incident and stated that this incident is indicative of why defunding the police would be a bad idea.