Robert Lewis

A man is dead after a police shooting early Friday in Overland. Overland police Chief Andy Mackey told the Post-Dispatch that a Woodson Terrace officer fired the shot. The shooting happened about 3 a.m. at a small brick home at the corner of Woodson Road and Cote Brilliante Avenue. No officers were injured. On Monday, St. Louis County police released the man's name — Robert Lewis, 71. Police initially went to the home because the man's roommate told police the man assaulted him. An officer walked toward the home and saw Lewis standing outside with a weapon. The officer heard a shot then saw Lewis retreat into the home, police said. Overland police issued an "officer in need of aid" call and said the man may have barricaded himself inside. Several police agencies rushed to help, including a SWAT unit. As officers surrounded the home, they saw the man break a window and show a gun. That's when a Woodson Terrace police officer fired at the man shortly before 3 a.m. Tactical officers used a loud speaker and tried convincing the man to come outside, but he didn't, police said. At about 5:30 a.m., the tactical unit stormed the house and found the man dead. St. Louis County police detectives are investigating. Mackey, the Overland police chief, said it wasn't immediately clear if the man died because of the officer's gunfire or if he shot himself. But county police said Tuesday there is no indication the man died by suicide. The roommate who was assaulted suffered minor injuries and declined medical treatment, police said. The Woodson Terrace officer is 29 and has been an officer for eight years.