St. Louis Police investigate officer involved shooting at Highlands Plaza Two off of Oakland

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Around 2:35 Wednesday afternoon, St. Louis Police received a call for a man with a puppy, possibly having a mental crisis inside an office at the Highlands Plaza Two sitting in different chairs and offices.

Major Janice Bockstruck says when officers arrived, they confronted the man he started stabbing his small dog. In an attempt to stop him, police deployed a tazer, but it seemed to be ineffective and he broke free. He then went down the stairwell to the second floor hallway and sat down. Bockstruck says at some point, he was stabbing himself in the neck. When officers approached him again, he stood up, refused to drop the knife, and in a threatening manner, he stood up, and the officer felt threatened after seeing his violent behavior and shot the suspect. He pronounced dead at the hospital.

The puppy was rushed to the Humane Society of Missouri on Mackland, where he is being treated and expected to survive.

The officer who discharged the tazer has been on the St. Louis Police Department for four years. The officer who shot the suspect is nearly a 16 year veteran of the Department.

Police believe the deceased 37-year old man was staying at the nearby hotel. His last known address was in Illinois, though police are still waiting for additional information.

Major Bockstruck says the officer that responded has some mental health counseling experience and though they tried to de-escalate the situation, given the suspect's violent behavior, it did not work.

Bockstruck says besides trying to protect themselves, the suspect was in an occupied business with several workers who police had to protect as well.

The St. Louis Police Department's Force Investigative Unit (FIU) is now handling the investigation