MO Man Cortez Bufford ID’d As Victim In Thursday Night St Louis Police-Involved Shooting

ST. LOUIS, MO. (THECOUNT) — Cortez Bufford has been identified as the man killed in a police-involved shooting at a south city gas station Thursday evening.

Bufford, 24, was fatally shot after police opened fire in an incident occurring at the intersection of Bates and Virginia, in the Carondelet neighborhood.

St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden said an officer had been “checking on pedestrians in the area” when Bufford bolted around 9:30 p.m.

Officers pursued Bufford on-foot – at which time police say he brandished a weapon. Bufford reportedly ignored police commands to drop the weapon. Officers then opened fire fatally striking Bufford.

Bufford was pronounced dead at the scene of gunshot injuries.

According to investigators, narcotics were recovered at the scene.

The officer who shot Bufford is 35-years-old with 11 years on the police force. Hayden said the department’s force investigative unit would handle the case, reports Fox2Now.

It was second officer-involved shooting in less than 24-hours. And the shooting came approximately 48 hours after a 14-year-old was shot at near that gas station, although Chief Hayden said there’s no reason currently to connect the two events.

DEVELOPING::

Geo quick facts: St. Louis is a major city in Missouri along the Mississippi River. Its iconic, 630-ft. Gateway Arch, built in the 1960s, honors the early 19th-century explorations of Lewis and Clark and America’s westward expansion in general. Replica paddlewheelers ply the river, offering views of the arch. The Soulard district is home to barbecue restaurants and clubs playing blues music – wikipedia.