ST. CLAIR, Mo. – A police response to an overturned vehicle over the weekend ended with a St. Clair police officer fatally wounding the driver.

According to Chief Michael Wirt, St. Clair Police Department, the shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

A trooper from the Missouri State Highway Patrol saw an overturned vehicle in a ditch along North Service Road East at the sharp curve near Miller Drive. Additional state troopers, as well first responders from St. Clair police, St. Clair firefighters, and St. Clair EMS, responded to the scene.

While checking the vehicle, responders found a man in the car holding a knife. Police said the man was given numerous verbal commands to drop the knife and exit the vehicle, but he refused.

Thanks for signing up!

Watch for us in your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Daily News

Eventually, the man crawled out from the vehicle while holding the knife. Police continued to give commands for the man to drop the knife, but he did not comply.

Police said the man kept walking toward officers, who backed up as far as the terrain would allow. An officer eventually shot the man.

Officers provided first aid to the man and St. Clair EMS took the man to the hospital, where he later died. Chief Wirt said the man was carrying Honduras identification and that the vehicle was registered in the Carolinas.

The highway patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control is handling the investigation and are reviewing bodycam footage of the incident, according to Chief Wirt. The MSHP will release its findings at the conclusion of the investigation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.