Photo by Google Images. An ambulance blocks the crime scene at 22nd and Frederick Street.
Officer Thomas Bradley Arn, 28, responded to the scene and was fatally injured when bullets hit his back window seven times, striking him in the back of the head and killing him, according to the St. Joseph police.
The emergency call was dispatched at 5:11 pm. Arn responded to the call in fewer than 5 minutes. Norma Guthrie, an eyewitness and resident of St. Joseph, said that she and her boyfriend were traveling in their van behind Arn’s police car. After hearing gunshots, she saw the police officer’s car skid and come to a stop.
“I knew then that he was hurt pretty bad,” Guthrie said.
Conners, a police spokesman, reported that the gunman was wearing camouflaged clothing, had ammunition in his pockets, a loaded shotgun and a knife on his belt. He was also carrying a backpack and was not carrying any form of identification. His motive is unknown.
Roger Liberty, a local businessman who witnessed the shooting, said that the gunman was an “average-sized man with a mohawk haircut.”
Three other victims were also injured when the gunman opened fire. Jack Martin, 56, had wounds to the chest, abdomen, and forearm. He underwent surgery at Heartland Medical Center (would have to confirm if this man died or not). Valerie Sharp, 28, a passerby and resident of St. Joseph, was treated for shrapnel in the eye and released. Kenny Cordonier, an off-duty St. Joseph firefighter, drove himself to the hospital and has been treated and released.
The gunman was killed by a sniper’s shot in front of Calvary Baptist Church. He reportedly fired shots down Calhoun Street before hiding behind the church. His identity has not yet been released, according to authorities.
Conners said that police were investigating the shooting and conducting an internal review of the officer who delivered the fatal shot to the gunman. “That’s standard procedure,” Conner detailed.
At Heartland Medical Center, police officers were on hands and knees praying. Commander Mie Herder spoke to the media. He was visibly shaken and asked members of the press to stop tape recording out of respect.
The Law Enforcement Center said that the last officer shot in the line of duty was in 1944, and the last officer killed in the line of duty was in 1991. This was the first mass shooting in St. Joseph.
Funeral services for Arn have not been announced yet.
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