Man Fatally Shot After Pulling Gun On Two Officers At Wood River Gas Station

WOOD RIVER – Two police officers were involved in the fatal shooting of a man who pulled out a gun and pointed it at them early Tuesday morning at a VP gas station formally known as Moe’s Corner in Wood River.

A woman working at the VP gas station located on North Wood River Avenue was closing down for the night at about 1:40 a.m. when she had an encounter with a 31-year-old man in front of the station. During this encounter, she saw a gun on the man. The woman then went across the street to a nearby Jack in the Box and called the police. Police were unable to locate him at that time.

About an hour later, Wood River Police received a call about a man standing on a lady’s porch in the same area. Wood River and East Alton Police found the same man from the previous two calls outside of the VP. Wood River Police Chief Brad Wells said when the officers tried to speak with the man, he pulled a gun out of his pocket and moved it towards the officers. That is when the Wood River officer and the East Alton officer both opened fire.

The man was airlifted from the old Wood River hospital to St. Louis University Hospital. There, he was pronounced dead at about 3 a.m. Both of the officers were uninjured in the incident.

Illinois State Police have taken over the investigation. The gun the man had pulled out of his pocket has been recovered.