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A St. Louis police officer has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action following the shootingdeath of his fellow officer.
On Friday, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardnersaid in a statementthat Nathaniel Hendren, 29, has been charged in the death of Katlyn Alix, 24.
At the time, Hendren was on-duty but Alix was not.
Hendren’s partner, who was not named, expressed concern about the fact that the pair were “playing with guns,” according to the statement. Wanting no part of the situation, Hendren’s partner went to leave the apartment before hearing a shot. He then went back into the room where Hendren and Alix were in and saw that Alix had been shot.
The shooting took place early Thursday morning, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Alix, who was a military veteran and a patrol officer in her second year on the force, waspronounced dead at a local hospital.
“At this point based upon the evidence, my office filed at-large charges against SLMPD officer Nathaniel Hendren for involuntary manslaughter, first degree. It’s a class C felony, for a term not less than three years and not to exceed ten years,” she said. “I have said this many times before; I will hold people accountable who violate Missouri law regardless of their profession, public status or station in life. Today, as much as it saddens my staff and me to file these charges, Katlyn and her family deserve accountability and justice.”
Katyln Alix.AP/REX/Shutterstock
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Garner further stated that while she couldn’t disclose any additional information about the ongoing investigation, “we will do whatever is necessary to get to the truth of this incident.”
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According to theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch, at the time of the shooting, Hendren and his partner were two miles away from the border of the district they were assigned to patrol at the time of the shooting.
“Officer Alix was an enthusiastic and energetic young woman with a bright future ahead of her,” St. Louis Metropolitan Police chief John Hayden said in a statement, adding that Hendren had “mishandled” the gun.
Hendren was booked and later released from custody, PEOPLE confirmed with the Missouri Department of Corrections
It could not be determined if Hendren has otherwise obtained an attorney in the criminal case who might speak on his behalf.
source: people.com
