VIDEO: St. Louis Officer Shot in Face, Suspect Killed in Shootout

Sunday night a St. Louis police officer was shot twice in the face while sitting in a patrol vehicle. Early Monday morning a suspect wanted in connection to that shooting was killed in a shootout with officers.

In a late night press conference, Chief Sam Dotson said the department is looking into whether the suspect was afraid he might have been recognized by the officer that was shot Sunday. That officer was rushed to the hospital and went into surgery Sunday night. He was reportedly released from the hospital this morning.

Dotson said officers and federal authorities fanned out after the shooting looking for the suspect. His vehicle was located in a parking garage on Laclede’s Landing.

The suspect was picked up by a female friend and the pair drove back to south St. Louis. As they were driving, officers spotted the suspect and attempted to pullover the vehicle. The driver stopped the car and the suspect jumped out and ran through an alley, into a yard on Smiley Avenue. He encountered an unmarked police cruiser and fired a shot into the windshield of the vehicle.

Other officers converged on the scene and the suspect fired on those officers, who then returned fire and killed the suspect. No officers were injured during the shootout with the suspect.

A pistol was recovered from the scene, which had an extended magazine, along with additional ammunition, KTVI reports.