ST. LOUIS – An armed woman possibly connected to a shooting Friday morning at a White Castle in Bellefontaine Neighbors died after she turned a gun on herself following a police stop in St. Louis, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

At least one officer also fired shots at the wanted woman and struck her before she turned a gun on herself, according to police.

Police have not disclosed the woman’s identity, but believe she was in her mid 20s.

The investigation into the woman’s death is tied to multiple scenes, including a White Castle restaurant at Bellefontaine Neighbors and several areas of attempted traffic stops in St. Louis.

“We probably heard like 20 gunshots. You could tell it was back and forth; it wasn’t just one. It was crazy,” nearby resident Patrice Binger said. Neighbors woke up to gunshots, evidence markers, and detectives filling their streets.

According to SLMPD police major Janice Bockstruck, the Bellefontaine Neighbors Police Department informed other departments that a suspect shot a cook at a White Castle restaurant just before 8 a.m. Friday and fled the restaurant.

Bellefontaine Neighbors then police informed SLMPD of a wanted vehicle amid their investigation, and the St. Louis real-time crime center put out a real-time announcement of a license plate recognition reader in efforts to locate the vehicle.

SLMPD officers located the vehicle near Lafayette Avenue, but were unable to stop the driver. Officers later located the vehicle in the 41000 block of California Avenue, and the driver attempted to flee again. Eventually, police were able to stop the vehicle near West Iowa Avenue and Gasconade Street in south St. Louis.

According to Bockstruck, a woman walked out of the vehicle “armed with a firearm.” Officers then attempted to give her verbal commands, to which she did not comply.

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After that, at least one officer fired shots at the armed woman and struck here. Then, the armed woman placed the firearm to her chin and discharged the weapon, according to Bockstruck.

Officers attempted to offer aid to the woman. Upon EMS arrival, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

“It was horrible. It was so many gunshots,” Marie Rundle said. “All of the sudden, whoever this was walking down the street was shooting. I can’t say if he was shooting at the cops but he was shooting.”

The Bellefontaine Neighbors Police Department is investigating the shooting at the White Castle. Investigators have not yet disclosed if the suspect in the White Castle shooting was the woman who was shot after the police stop.

The cook wounded in the Bellefontaine Neighbors shooting is hospitalized in stable, but critical condition, according to police.

This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.

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