Prosecutor questions police handling of 'Russian roulette' officer shooting - Daily Mail

St Louis police officer Nathaniel Hendren is accused of killing a colleague during a twisted game of Russian roulette. The 29-year-old is seen in his mugshot (above) with a black eye reportedly sustained headbutting a police vehicle after the fatal shooting

The St Louis circuit attorney's office has raised serious concerns over the police handling of the death of a female officer allegedly killed by a male colleague in a twisted 1am game of Russian roulette. 

Prosecutor Kimberly M. Gardner questioned whether cops tried to block the drug and alcohol testing of on-duty Nathaniel Hendren and his work partner, who has not been named, following the death of 24-year-old fellow officer Katlyn Alix last Thursday.

In a letter to Chief John Hayden and Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards, Gardner also said the fact police labelled the incident an accident so soon after the shooting was 'particularly troublesome'.      

Department policy requires immediate drug and alcohol testing for officers involved in shootings. Toxicology results for Alix could take 12 to 16 weeks, according to the St Louis medical examiner's office. 

In her letter, Gardner wrote that there was 'probable cause at the scene that drugs or alcohol may be a contributing factor in a potential crime'.  

She claimed that a police lieutenant erroneously told her office that a hospital would not honor a search warrant for the officers' blood.  

The letter said the officers later took urine and breath tests, but not blood tests, which are more accurate.  

Gardner also said that the tests were taken in a manner that may render them unusable in court proceedings.  

She wrote that the testing 'appears as an obstructionist tactic to prevent us from understanding the state of the officers during the commission of this alleged crime'.

The prosecutor also faulted law enforcement officials for initially characterizing the shooting as an 'accident', which she said was an 'inappropriate' 'pre-disposed conclusion about the potential outcome of a case'.   

Gardner said there were additional issues concerning the investigation that she would like to discuss with both officers. 

Newlywed Alix's husband, a fellow cop known only as Tony, has not been heard from since her death and it is not known where is was on the night of the 1am shooting

Kimberly M. Gardner questioned whether police tried to block Hendren and his partner from undergoing drug and alcohol after the death of Katlyn Alix, pictured. Katlyn is said to have died in a twisted 1am game of Russian roulette

A St. Louis prosecutor is raising concerns about whether police tried to block drug and alcohol testing of two on-duty officers following the fatal shooting of Officer Katlyn Alix

Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner wrote that the way the testing was performed 'appears to be an obstructionist tactic'

Hendren, charged with manslaughter and armed criminal action, has now been moved to a jail outside the city for his own protection.  

The 29-year-old and his police partner were at his home early Thursday when they were reportedly on duty and supposed to be patrolling a neighborhood. 

According to a probable cause statement, Alix, who was off duty, went to Hendren's home sometime before 1am and the pair began taking turns pulling the trigger on his revolver while pointing it at each other, according to court documents. 

Alix was shot in the chest and Hendren and his partner, also 29, rushed her to hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her funeral takes place today.  

Hendren was also hospitalized following the shooting after he headbutted the back window of a parked police SUV at the hospital, sources told the St Louis Post-Dispatch.

He reportedly broke the window and suffered minor head injuries. The booking photo released by police shows him with a blackened left eye.   

But online there is speculation over why Alix was at his home on the night of the shooting, why Hendren and his partner were reportedly not working when they were supposed to be on duty and why they allegedly took Alix to the hospital instead of an ambulance. 

One person wrote: 'I for one don't believe 'the story'. Not at all.'

Another added: 'They pulled the trigger two times and then again. I smell a rat.' 

It is not known where Alix's new husband, a fellow officer known only as Tony, was during the incident. He has so far not spoken out about the incident.   

Alix's family said they have hired legal counsel to 'ensure that a thorough investigation is performed', saying there are 'a substantial amount of unanswered questions', according to the Post-Dispatch. 

'Certainly, we're looking into all avenues... including, potentially, civil litigation,' attorney Scott Rosenblum said. 

'The family is convinced that with Katlyn's training, both police and military, there remains a substantial amount of unanswered questions about the circumstances of the event.'  

Online there is speculation over the Russian roulette story as sleuths question its credibility 

Alix was shot in the chest and Hendren and his partner rushed her the hospital, where she was pronounced dead

Hendren, 29, has been charged with manslaughter and armed criminal action. Alix and Hendren, pictured, had reportedly been taking turns pointing his revolver at each other and pulling the trigger while there was one bullet in the chamber

According to a probable cause statement, Alix, who was off duty, went to Hendren's home sometime before 1am and the pair began taking turns pulling the trigger on his revolver

Hendren has been charged with manslaughter and armed criminal action in Alix's death. The 24-year-old military veteran, who married a fellow police officer in October, is pictured above 

Katlyn's family have hired legal counsel and say there 'remains a substantial amount of unanswered questions about the circumstances of the event'. Toxicology results for Alix could take 12 to 16 weeks, according to the St Louis medical examiner's office.

The funeral of St. Louis Officer Katlyn Alix in St. Louis Missouri

Police tape is pictured at the scene of the shooting at Hendren's St Louis home on Thursday

Hendren's bail was set at $50,000 on Monday, according to the St Louis Police Department. He made his first court appearance on Tuesday morning via video from jail.

Hendren was not present at the hearing Monday morning, where his attorney, Talmage Newton IV, asked the judge for a reduction in bail terms that would allow him to be freed after posting 10 percent of the $50,000. 

A decision on that request is expected to be announced at a hearing later this week. 

Newton IV declined to comment after Monday's hearing but released a statement offering condolences to Alix's family.  

'The death of Officer Katlyn Alix was a tragic accident that has unalterably impacted the lives of everyone involved,' the attorney's statement said. 

'I urge the public, as well as members of the police department, to wait until the investigation is complete, and all of the facts have been presented, before coming to any conclusions about what they believe happened that unfortunate morning.'   

Both Hendren and his partner have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure any time an officer is involved in a shooting.  

Hendren's attorney declined to comment after his client's bail hearing on Monday but released a statement offering condolences to Alix's family. 'The death of Officer Katlyn Alix was a tragic accident that has unalterably impacted the lives of everyone involved,' he wrote

According to a probable cause statement, Hendren had pulled out a revolver, which was not his service weapon, and emptied the cylinder of rounds before replacing a single bullet in the weapon. 

Alix's family have raise questions about the Army veteran's death

'He spun the cylinder and pointed it away and pulled the trigger,' Sgt R Hellmeier wrote in the statement.

When the gun did not fire on the first trigger pull, Alix took the weapon, pointed it at Hendren, and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened, the affidavit states.

Investigators say that Hendren took the gun, pointed it at Alix, and pulled the trigger for a third time. The gun discharged, striking the female officer in the chest. 

The affidavit says that Hendren's partner, a 29-year-old male who has not be named, claims that he protested that 'they shouldn't be playing with guns and that they were police officers.'

The partner said he was walking out of the room when he heard the gun go off. 

Hendren had been on the police force for about a year. He faces three to 10 years in prison if convicted on the felony counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action.  

Flags fly at half-staff in front of the St Louis Police Officers Association following the shooting

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