An Arnold man was shot and killed by St. Louis Police officers May 23 following a pursuit that began in St. Louis and ended at the Westward Trails apartment complex in Imperial.
Terry Pfeffer, 45, of Arnold died after being shot at about 7:25 a.m. in the 1100 block of Westward Trails Drive, which if off Miller Road and near Hwy. 61-67 just outside Arnold, Sheriff Dave Marshak said.
No officers or residents were injured in the shooting.
Officers shot Pfeffer after he allegedly shot at police, and the Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the shooting, reported that a gun was recovered near a red Ford F-250 that Pfeffer was driving during the chase. St. Louis Police attempted to stop the pickup at about 7 a.m. near the intersection of South Broadway and East Schirmer Street because it had been reported stolen on May 16.
Pfeffer allegedly shot at officers when they attempted to stop the pickup and continued to shoot at officers during a chase that went through St. Louis County before ending in Jefferson County, Marshak said.
During the pursuit, officers used spike strips to try to disable the pickup, and while the pickup’s tires were damaged, Pfeffer continued to flee, Marshak said.
“At the end of this pursuit, law enforcement officers had no choice but to engage in a shootout with the suspect, who was armed,” Marshak said.
He said he didn’t know how many shots were fired, how many officers were involved in the shooting or if Pfeffer shot at officers after the pursuit ended behind the apartment buildings on a cul-de-sac at the end of the dead-end street.
“The suspect fired at law enforcement officers throughout this entire episode,” Marshak said. “It didn’t conclude until he forced police officers into a situation where they had to defend themselves.”
A 34-year-old St. Louis woman who was in the pickup with Pfeffer was arrested after allegedly trying to run away after the chase ended at the Imperial apartment complex. She was not injured, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Marshak said she cooperated with investigators. However, the Sheriff’s Office is seeking a charge of second-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, a class A misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000, against the woman through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, spokesman Grant Bissell said.
On May 24, he said the woman was released from custody while the charges are being sought.
Kate Ramirez, who lives in the complex, said she saw the pickup followed by three police vehicles speeding down the street at about 7:15 a.m., adding that she heard four gunshots at about 7:25 a.m.
She said it was disturbing seeing a police shooting that ended in a man’s death.
Ramirez also said she saw the woman run from the pickup and into an apartment unit before she was arrested.
Brooke Demmon, who also lives in the apartment complex, said she had seen the red pickup on the street before.
“In the past few days, I have seen the truck here,” she said May 23.
Megan Wangler, who lives in the complex, said when she heard the gunshots, she grabbed her child and went to her kitchen. She said there have been incidents in the complex before, but none as serious as the one this morning.
“You don’t really hear gunshots here,” she said. “You hear yelling, but you don’t have the cops down here and people shooting. It can happen anywhere I guess now.”
Marshak said Pfeffer was shot and killed was known to law enforcement officers in the area, and authorities believe he knew people who live in the complex.
“The suspect has a long history with law enforcement,” Marshak said. “He has been in this area before. Law enforcement has encountered him with numerous charges in this area.”
Court records show Pfeffer pleaded guilty in August 2010 in federal court to conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. He was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
In Jefferson County, Pfeffer pleaded guilty to misdemeanor property damage in September 2000 and was sentenced to 75 days in jail. However, that sentence was suspended, and he was ordered to pay restitution to the victim and was placed on two years’ probation, according to court documents.
In October 2021, Pfeffer pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and misdemeanor assault following arrests in March and November 2020 in Jefferson County. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail, court records said.
In October 2022, Pfeffer was sentenced to 121 days in the Jefferson County Jail after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor tampering with a motor vehicle following a December 2020 arrest by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, according to court documents.
Marshak said the Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation, and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department will conduct an administrative investigation. He said the Sheriff’s Office will not release video from St. Louis Police officers’ body cameras, but the St. Louis Police Department may decide to release those videos.
Marshak said the pursuit began before the start of the St. Louis Police Department’s memorial breakfast.
“On such an important day when St. Louis city is celebrating the lives lost protecting their community, you still have heroes out there doing the work to keep our community safe,” he said. Marshak also said Jefferson County is a safe community.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A man was shot and killed by St. Louis Police officers this morning, May 23, at an Imperial apartment complex. Officers shot the man after he allegedly shot at police during a chase that started in St. Louis an ended in the Westward Trails apartment complex, Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said.
Authorities have not identified the man who was shot and killed.
The shooting happened at about 7:25 a.m. in the 1100 block of Westward Trails Drive off Miller Road and near Hwy. 61-67 just south of Arnold.
The incident began about 7 a.m. near the intersection of South Broadway and East Schirmer Street where St. Louis Police attempted to arrest the man because he was driving a red Ford F-250 that had been reported stolen on May 16, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Marshak said the man shot at officers in St. Louis and continued shooting at police officers during the pursuit that went from the city through St. Louis County before ending in Imperial. A woman was in the pickup with the man, and she was arrested after allegedly trying to run away after the chase ended in the Westward Trails apartment complex. She was not injured.
A man was shot and killed by St. Louis Police officers Friday morning, May 23, at the Westward Trails apartment complex in Imperial just south of Arnold following a chase that began in St. Louis.
During the pursuit, officers used spike strips to try to disable the pickup, and while the pickup’s tires were damaged, the suspect continued to flee, Marshak said.
“At the end of this pursuit, law enforcement officers had no choice but to engage in a shootout with the suspect, who was armed,” Marshak said.
He said no officers or residents in the apartment complex were injured.
Marshak said he didn’t know how many shots were fired, how many officers were involved in the shooting or if the suspect shot at officers after the pursuit ended behind the apartment buildings on a cul-de-sac at the end of the dead-end street.
“The suspect fired at law enforcement officers throughout this entire episode,” Marshak said. “It didn’t conclude until he forced police officers into a situation where they had to defend themselves.”
Kate Ramirez, who lives in the complex, said she saw the pickup followed by three police vehicles speeding down the street at about 7:15 a.m., adding that she heard four gunshots at about 7:25 a.m.
She said it was disturbing seeing a police shooting that ended in a man’s death.
Ramirez also said she saw the woman run from the pickup and into an apartment unit before she was arrested.
Marshak said the man who was shot and killed is known to law enforcement officers in the area, and authorities believe the man knows people who live in the complex.
“The suspect has a long history with law enforcement,” he said. “He has been in this area before. Law enforcement has encountered him with numerous charges in this area.”
Brooke Demmon, who also lives in the apartment complex, said she had seen the red pickup on the street before.
“In the past few days, I have seen the truck here,” she said.
Megan Wangler, who lives in the complex, said when she heard the gunshots, she grabbed her child and went to her kitchen. She said there have been incidents in the complex before, but none as serious as the one this morning.
“You don’t really hear gunshots here,” she said. “You hear yelling, but you don’t have the cops down here and people shooting. It can happen anywhere I guess now.”
Marshak said the Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation, and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department will conduct an administrative investigation. He said the Sheriff’s Office will not release video from St. Louis Police officers’ body cameras, but the St. Louis Police Department may decide to release those videos.
Marshak said the pursuit began before the start of the St. Louis Police Department’s memorial breakfast.
“On such an important day when St. Louis city is celebrating the lives lost protecting their community, you still have heroes out there doing the work to keep our community safe,” he said. Marshak also said Jefferson County is a safe community.
“Law enforcement didn’t choose where this situation ended. For the people who live in this community, it continues to be a safe community,” he said. “We have one of the lowest homicide rates in the St. Louis region. (Residents) can continue to live here in peace. A bad guy, today, will not be harming the community anymore.”