An off-duty St. Louis was shot by a young gunman downtown, police say.
An off-duty police officer was shot overnight, and two juveniles, ages fourteen and sixteen, have been arrested, police say.
The officer, who was working a side job in security, was sitting in his car about midnight near the intersection of Convention Plaza and North Tenth Street, when the young suspects approached, St. Louis police Major Eric Larson told reporters.
"He made eye contact with the individuals, looked away, looked back, saw one of the individuals running towards him," Larson says. "The individual then began firing shots."
In an incident report, police said the officer saw them pass by and then come running back toward him a short time later. That's when the fourteen-year-old pulled out a gun and started shooting.
The 47-year-old officer was in plain clothes but wearing a tactical vest, emblazoned with "Police" on it, Larson says. As the bullets hit the car, striking him in the arm, the officer drove off and broadcast a description of the two. Responding officers soon saw two teens matching the description about a block away on North Tenth Street and arrested them, Larson says. Officers recovered one gun.
The officer was taken to the hospital and is expected to make a "full recovery," Larson says.
Police haven't said who the officer was working for, and it's not clear what prompted the shooting.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information.
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