An off-duty St. Louis police officer had no choice when a man raided his South County, Mo., home, terrorizing his family. He fired his gun, ending the attack.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch is reporting the officer knew the suspect, Tyler Gebhard, who had threatened the family as well as other “uninvolved members of the community” after a Facebook dispute. Police said the 21-year-old suspect had also been struggling with bipolar disorder.
On Saturday, Gebhard went to the officer’s home and rang the doorbell before going to the back of the house and throwing a 50-pound concrete planter through a window, where he entered the residence. The officer’s wife, mother-in-law and two children were escaping through another window when he shot Gebhard. The officer is on paid investigative leave, however St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said “I don’t think the officer had a choice,” it was “a very difficult position to be in.”
