Edwardsville
An off-duty St. Louis police rookie was wrong to shoot a man in a fight outside an Illinois bar, a Madison County grand jury said, and a Pontoon Beach officer was justified to shoot a different officer in the aftermath.
Bryan Pour, fired by the St. Louis police after the Nov. 9 incident, was indicted on a charge of aggravated battery with a firearm. Two of three city officers with him that night — including the one who got shot by a Pontoon Beach officer — were fired Friday.
Nobody was killed in the early morning melee outside Mac N Mick's Sports Bar & Grill, 5240 Nameoki Road in Pontoon Beach.
"Alcohol and weapons do not mix, and incidents like this will not be tolerated regardless of the fact that police officers were involved," Madison County State's Attorney William Mudge said Friday.
Pour, 26, graduated at the top of his Police Academy class in July and was assigned to the 4th District, downtown. If convicted, he could face a prison term of six to 30 years. He was arrested Friday in Edwardsville and released from jail on $100,000 bond.
"This was a difficult case to sort out due to the chaotic nature of the incident," Mudge said. Illinois State Police handled the investigation.
The charges and a statement from Mudge's office provided a clearer picture of an incident that began with four off-duty St. Louis officers celebrating a birthday and engagement.
Officials said Pour was intoxicated, got involved in a dispute outside the bar and shot Jeffrey Bladdick in the chest with a department-issued Beretta pistol as Bladdick "tried to alleviate the situation."
Officials said Pontoon Beach police were called shortly after 1 a.m. regarding a fight. They arrived to find Bladdick wounded and people in the lot.
"Attempting to secure the scene, officers observed armed individuals and ordered them to drop their weapons," Mudge's statement said. "One person, Christopher Hantak, 23, an off-duty St. Louis police officer who was not in uniform and was reportedly intoxicated, did not comply and was shot by Pontoon Beach police Officer Aaron Morgan when he pointed his weapon in the direction of Morgan. The grand jury found that Officer Morgan's actions were justified."
St. Louis police announced Friday that Hantak and Officer Philip Meyer were dismissed as a result of their involvement in the incident. Pour was fired Nov. 10.
State Police Lt. Jim Morrisey said Friday that Bladdick, 25, of Granite City, and Hantak are recovering from their wounds. He said that Bladdick is getting outpatient treatment and that Hantak is expected to be moved from a hospital to a rehabilitation center soon.
Pour's attorney, Albert Watkins, contends that his client acted in self-defense. He told a reporter after the shootings that Pour was walking across the parking lot when he was attacked by two people who struck him on the head with a metal bar and knocked him down.
As they continued to beat him, Watkins said, Pour reached for his gun in his rear waistband and fired it, mistakenly hitting Bladdick, who was trying to help him.
The prosecutor's statement Friday said Pour had no visible injuries when he was arrested at the scene but suffered a self-inflicted head injury after being placed in a police vehicle.
St. Louis police spokeswoman Erica Van Ross said Friday that the fourth city officer present that night remains on administrative duties pending completion of an internal affairs investigation. He was not carrying a weapon that night, she said.
Mudge's statement said, "I urge the St. Louis City Police Department to adopt stricter policies regarding the possession and use of department-issued weapons while its officers are off-duty."
Van Ross said Missouri law prohibits possession of a firearm while intoxicated.
Watkins said Friday that Pour's indictment was "absolutely no surprise" because the grand jury needed only a "shred of evidence" to begin the prosecution.
But he said Pour's arrest Friday was unexpected. He said his client was subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury Friday but instead was arrested on a suppressed indictment handed up Thursday. Pour wanted to testify but wasn't afforded that opportunity, Watkins said.
More Information: http://publicbroadcasting.net/kwmu/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1432559§ionID=1
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