Officer dies after being hit while putting spike strips on McKinley Bridge to stop police chase

By STEPHANIE BAUMER, DIGITAL CONTENT PRODUCER

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    VENICE, Ill. (KMOV) — An officer died following an early morning incident on the McKinley Bridge.

The officer was putting spike stripes on the bridge around 3 a.m. to stop a suspect vehicle that was being pursued by Brooklyn police. The suspect vehicle then hit the officer, fatally wounding him, according to Illinois State Police.

Around 4 a.m., a News 4 crew on the scene saw a car drive through the barricaded area and shots were heard. The car that drove through the roadblocks was attempting to avoid another agency and struck several police cars.

Then, Illinois State Police said a third incident not connected to the first two invoked an officer-involved shooting. Authorities did not provide any more details regarding the shooting.

St. Louis City police issued an officer in need of a call following the incident. They also assisted in closing the bridge the traffic. It is not known when the McKinley Bridge will reopen to traffic.

This is a breaking news story & will be updated as information develops.

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