Crime
Former Mercy Physician Fatally Shot by St. Louis County Police During Warrant Service in Fenton
Fenton, MO – A former physician at Mercy Health was shot and killed by St. Louis County police officers on Friday morning after an attempted arrest escalated into a fatal confrontation.
The deceased, identified as 38-year-old Aleksandr Lanis, was the subject of an arrest warrant for first-degree harassment.
Officers arrived at approximately 10 a.m. at a residence in the 1000 block of Hawkins Bend Drive to serve the warrant when the situation turned violent.
According to police, officers made contact with Lanis at the door of the home, where a verbal exchange ensued.
The encounter quickly escalated into a physical struggle when Lanis allegedly brandished a firearm.
In response, both officers discharged their weapons, striking and fatally wounding him. A firearm was recovered at the scene.
One of the officers sustained a non-gunfire-related hand injury during the altercation but was treated at the scene and did not require hospitalization.
The officers involved in the shooting have been identified as a 30-year-old with seven years of service and a 22-year-old who has been with the department for one year.
Neighbors in the area expressed shock following the incident. “We heard about 15 shots,” one resident recalled. “I didn’t even know he had weapons. He mostly kept to himself.”
Authorities confirmed that Lanis shared the home with a woman who was in the process of divorcing him.
She and their young child were not present at the time of the shooting.
Mercy Health acknowledged that Lanis had previously been employed as a physician but declined to disclose the timeframe of his tenure with the organization.
The investigation into the officer-involved shooting is ongoing.
Crime
Victims Identified in Deadly Robeson County Mass Shooting
Two Dead, 13 Injured in Mass Shooting at Large Party in Robeson County, North Carolina
ROBESON COUNTY, N.C. — A late-night party in eastern North Carolina turned deadly early Saturday morning when gunfire erupted, leaving two people dead and 13 others injured, according to the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Burnis Wilkins confirmed that deputies were called to the scene on Dixon Drive, just outside the town of Maxton, at approximately 3:00 a.m. following reports of a shooting at a large outdoor gathering attended by more than 150 people.
When deputies arrived, chaos had already unfolded — witnesses said over 150 individuals fled the area before law enforcement could secure the scene.
Authorities identified the deceased victims as Jessie Locklear and his son Nehemiah Locklear.
Several other victims sustained critical injuries and were transported to area hospitals for emergency treatment.
Sheriff Wilkins stated that, based on preliminary findings, the shooting appears to have been an isolated incident, and there is no ongoing threat to the wider community.
The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from multiple agencies, continues to investigate the circumstances that led to the violence.
Detectives are working to determine the motive and identify all parties involved.
Authorities are urging anyone with information—or anyone who attended the gathering and witnessed the incident—to contact the Robeson County Sheriff’s Investigators at 910-671-3100.
“We know there were many people present when this occurred,” Sheriff Wilkins said. “If you saw something or know something, we need you to come forward to help bring justice to the victims and their families.”