A Missouri cop is now in critical condition after being shot by a man he pulled over at a traffic stop.
The officer stopped the driver and then went to his car to get paper work. The man got out of the car instead of waiting for the officer, and shot him three times before getting back in his vehicle to flee the scene. Residents called in the shooting, according to St. Louis County police chief, Jon Belmar. The suspect was driving a blue Ford Taurus and was apprehended shortly after the shooting was reported. Police believe they recovered the gun that was used to shoot the officer. The suspect is 31-year-old Antonio Taylor and he had previously been on parole for a federal weapons charge. Chief Belmar said the officer was “ambushed” and believes that this was a “sad day for law enforcement,” according to ABC.
The officer was identified as Mike Flamion. He is now in the hospital in critical, but stable condition, according to CBS. The department’s Facebook page paid tribute to the wounded officer earlier today. “Officer Flamion is highly regarded by everyone in the department. His sense of humor and professional demeanor make him a centerpiece of our department,” the agency wrote. A man who lived nearby helped the officer after he was shot. “A nurse drove by and she told my wife to get a towel, so she ran in and grabbed a pillow case that’s on our stairwell ran back out and put it on his neck and stopped the bleeding,” said local Ben Riley to KMOV News.
Source: youtube.com
