ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. _ A Missouri police officer was apparently hit in his bullet-resistant vest Monday morning when a fugitive opened fire on members of a U.S. Marshals Service task force who went to arrest him.
Members of the task force returned fire, and the fugitive retreated Monday morning. He was later found dead in the area of a carport. A St. Louis County Police spokesman said it appeared the man died from shots fired by officers, but emphasized the investigation is in the early stages.
The eight-member task force first went to the home on Durness Drive about 10 a.m. to arrest William Watson Jr., 40, after he failed to show up for sentencing in a felony domestic assault case, authorities said. He was also wanted by St. Louis County police in connection with a first-degree assault shooting, but details of that case weren't available.
When the task force arrived in bullet-resistant vests labeled "Police," Watson was in his front yard, wearing an armor-plated vest, according to St. Louis County Police. The agency is handling the investigation into the incident.
They announced they were there to arrest him, and Watson opened fire on the task force, authorities said. One of the officers was hit in the vest by a shot or shrapnel.
He was alert and talking after the shooting, according to Marshals Service spokesman Patrick James. He was taken to a hospital as a precaution but was later released. "We're very, very lucky today," James said.
Both the injured officer and another officer returned fire.
Task force members lost sight of Watson, but believed he had been hit, according to James. They weren't sure whether he was within the home or hidden on the property, which included a carport and "junk" in the yard, James said.
Police surrounded the property and called in a SWAT team. The tactical team approached the property around noon and found Watson dead in the area of the carport. A gun was found, but it was not immediately clear what kind.
Jennifer Watson showed up at the scene while police had the home surrounded and said she was William Watson's sister.
She said police wouldn't let her go try to coax her brother out. At first she was concerned William Watson's young daughter might be inside, but that appeared to not be the case. No one else was in the house, according to police.
She and other family members waited for hours for information about William Watson. Police eventually announced his death about 4:30 p.m.
The unidentified injured officer works for the St. Charles County Police Department but was assigned to the fugitive task force. He had been detached to the Marshals Service for about a year. He is 32 and has 10 years of law enforcement experience.
The other officer who fired is a 44-year-old St. Louis County Police officer who has been detached to the Marshals Service for about six years.
Watson was convicted of domestic assault in a September bench trial before Judge Michael Burton. The judge allowed Watson to be released on bond until his sentencing, which was set for Nov. 6.
But Watson failed to show up in court for the sentencing, and Burton issued an arrest warrant for failure to appear.
His attorney, Michael Hufty, said the underlying case was for second-degree domestic assault and violating an order of protection. At the bench trial, the defense argued that a woman came at Watson with a knife and that he disarmed her; she testified that he choked and body-slammed her.
After the conviction, Hufty said he had been expecting Watson would get probation in the domestic assault case and thought it was a good sign that Burton didn't revoke Watson's bond and instead allowed him to remain out on bond until the sentencing date.
The fugitive task force also planned to arrest Watson in a first-degree assault case, apparently the shooting case referenced by St. Louis County Police. The details of that case weren't clear. The lawyer who represented Watson in the domestic violence case said he had no information about a shooting case. He said he hasn't talked to his client since the trial.
Records indicate Watson had a previous conviction for unlawful use of a weapon in 1997 in St. Louis city.
