St. Louis cops didn't help man shot in head because their shift was ending, video shows
Footage obtained by Missouri station KMOV First Alert 4 appears to show then-Officers Austin Fraser and Ty Warren searching a park where they came across mortally wounded Urayoan Rodriguez-Rivera, who had called 911 to say he was going to kill himself. The cops are surprised to discover Rodriguez-Rivera on the ground and still breathing after taking the call.
'Damn, he's right there,' one officer can be heard saying on footage recorded by Warren's body-worn camera.
The officers acknowledge Rodriguez-Rivera isn't dead. But when Warren suggests they bring the victim somewhere for help, his partner shoots down that idea.
'We ain't taking s–t,' Fraser said. 'I get off in 30 minutes.'
Fraser then suggests to Warren they 'cruise around and come back,' before they walk away joking and wait for other officers to respond.
'They're gonna find this (expletive), and we're gonna be like, 'Oh, (expletive), you found him,'' Fraser said to Warren.
The pair return about 10 minutes later pretending to have just arrived on the scene for the first time. A third officer calls for emergency services while Fraser and Warren stick by their plan to play dumb.
Fraser and Warren then exit the scene a second time, leaving other officers to handle the situation.
'You can't just leave,' another officer is heard telling the duo as they do just that.
The 29-year-old victim was then rushed to a St. Louis-area hospital, where he died from a gunshot to his head 40 minutes after calling 911.
The state of Missouri accused the former cops of 'reckless disregard' for their handling of that September 2023 incident, according to First Alert 4's report. The Missouri news outlet obtained the footage last month after filing a records request.
Rodriguez-Rivera's death was reportedly ruled a suicide, but no gun was located at the scene.
A police department representative told the Daily News both officers had been relieved of their duties.
'The two individuals are no longer employed by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department,' Mitch McCoy, the department's public affairs and information director, said in a statement. 'While we are unable to comment on specific personnel matters, SLMPD holds its officers to the highest of standards. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken if an officer is found to have violated policies.'
Warren's peace officer license was revoked because of the incident, according to First Alert 4. A disciplinary hearing for Fraser was scheduled for Tuesday with the state of Missouri.
State officials told the Daily News that results of that hearing are made official after 30 days. A statewide license to practice law can't be reinstated once revoked.
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