(The following is a joint information from the SLMPD and U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Missouri)
ST. LOUIS – Two 19-year-old men have been accused of shooting at St. Louis Metropolitan Police officers and ATF agents on July 28, 2026, while the officers and agents were conducting a traffic stop at Oriole and Thekla avenues in St. Louis, authorities said.
Justin R. Price and Alexavier Bishop were charged by complaint Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with aiding and abetting the assault of federal agents and aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Price appeared in court Friday. Bishop is in custody.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the complaint, the officers and agents were conducting the traffic stop when, just after 9 p.m., a Ford Fusion stopped about one block away, and someone fired 12 shots with an automatic weapon. Police pursued the Fusion, which was abandoned in the 1500 block of Sells Avenue.
The affidavit says Bishop, Price and one other person were in the Fusion but escaped.
About 90 minutes before the shooting, Price and Bishop were spotted pulling on the door handles of parked vehicles in the 1700 block of McLaran Avenue in St. Louis, about one mile away, and appeared to be armed, the affidavit says.
“It is a miracle that the police officers, ATF agents and bystanders were not wounded in this incident,” said U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus. “You can be assured that we are treating this assault with the utmost seriousness. We are grateful for the hard work of investigators and the assistance of the public, and we hope that the public will continue to help us in this ongoing investigation.”
ATF Kansas City Field Division Special Agent in Charge Bernard Hansen said the outcome could have been worse.
“The fact that no one was struck by the 12 rounds fired at St. Louis police officers and ATF agents that night was extraordinarily fortunate, but it does not diminish the seriousness of this alleged attack,” Hansen said. “This case reflects the determined work of state, local and federal partners, along with community members who came forward to help. We are especially grateful for SLMPD’s investigative work and for the diligence of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in reviewing the evidence and securing these charges as the investigation continues.”
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert J. Tracy said the arrests reflect cooperation among law enforcement agencies and the community.
“An attack on law enforcement is an attack on the people working every day to keep our neighborhoods safe. These arrests demonstrate what is possible when local, state and federal law enforcement work together, supported by a community willing to come forward and help, with a shared commitment to accountability,” Tracy said. “I am grateful to the many law enforcement partners involved in this investigation, along with our nationally recognized SLMPD Crime Laboratory, for working relentlessly to identify those allegedly responsible and move this case forward.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the St. Louis County Police Department, the Alton Police Department and the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office were involved in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa is prosecuting the case.
Charges set forth in a criminal complaint are accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
