ST. LOUIS (AP) - A 21-year-old St. Louis man is dead after attempting to rob a White Castle restaurant with a BB gun and being shot by an off-duty police officer working security.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/WOUZ8z) Thomas Donovan went into the store shortly before 4 a.m. Saturday and approached the counter with what appeared to be a real gun.
Police say one of the officers fired when the man didn't drop the gun as directed and hit him in the abdomen. Donovan was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Police say Donovan matches the description of a man who previously robbed the restaurant.
The 48-year-old officer who shot the man is a 21-year veteran on the force. She has been placed on administrative leave, which is department policy in officer-involved shootings.