Police officer charged with involuntary manslaughter after colleague shot dead in 'Russian Roulette game' in St Louis

Jacob Jarvis26 January 2019
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A police officer has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after one of his colleagues was shot dead following what prosecutors describe as a fatal game with a revolver.

St Louis circuit attorney Kim Gardner announced the charge against Nathaniel Hendren, 29, in the death of 24-year-old Katlyn Alix.

They allegedly played a game akin to Russian Roulette, in which a revolver's cylinder was emptied, one bullet put back and the two colleagues took turns pointing at each other and pulling the trigger.

Alix was with two male officers at an apartment when she was killed just before 1am on Thursday in the city in Missouri.

A probable cause statement from police, provided by Ms Gardner's office, offered a chilling account of the dangerous game that led to the officer’s death.

The probable cause statement said Ms Alix and Hendren were playing with guns when Hendren produced a revolver.

It said: "The defendant emptied the cylinder of the revolver and then put one cartridge back into the cylinder.”

He allegedly spun the cylinder, pointed the gun away and pulled the trigger.

This first time, the report said the gun did not fire.

The statement said Ms Alix took the gun, pointed it at Hendren and pulled the trigger and again it did not shoot.

Hendren then "took the gun back and pointed it at the victim (and) pulled the trigger causing the gun to discharge," the statement said.

It added: "The victim was struck in the chest."

The other male officer told investigators he warned Hendren and Ms Alix not to play with guns and reminded them they were police officers.

He was about to leave when he heard the fatal shot, the statement said.

The male officers drove Alix to a hospital where she died and Hendren is also charged with armed criminal action.

The two men were on-duty at the time of the shooting and Police Chief John Hayden has declined to answer questions about why the officers had gathered at the apartment, which was home to one of the men.

St. Louis police said the charges were the result of a promise Mr Hayden made to Ms Alix's family to conduct a "thorough and competent investigation”.

Ms Alix, a military veteran who was married, was not working when she met the men at the apartment.

She was a patrol officer and had graduated from the St. Louis Police Academy in January 2017.

Police immediately launched an internal investigation following the incident.

Both surviving officers were placed on paid leave.

Ms Gardner also began her own investigation on Thursday.

She enlisted the Missouri State Highway Patrol to conduct it.

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