St. Louis officers charged over shooting outside a bar
Posted Jan 29, 2019 01:34:52 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ST. LOUIS — Two St. Louis police officers are charged in a shooting outside a bar, the latest embarrassment for the police department.
Joseph Schmitt and William Olsten were charged Monday with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. Schmitt also faces a weapons charge.
The officers were off-duty at a bar in April. The charges claim Schmitt and Olsten approached a van where a bar patron was sitting. An investigation by the circuit attorney’s office found that the patron’s gun went off when Olsten slammed that person to the ground, injuring Olsten. Schmitt allegedly responded by shooting the patron, who survived.
Last week, officer Nathaniel Hendren was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of another officer, Katlyn Alix. Police say they were playing with guns when one went off. And in November, four officers were indicted for allegedly beating an undercover colleague during a protest.
The Associated Press
