St Louis Police Officers Association mourns loss of Tamarris Bohannon, who died Sunday after being shot in the head by gunman

Tamarris L. Bohannon, a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officer shot in the head as a man barricaded himself inside a home on Saturday, Aug. 29, died Sunday at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital, police confirmed.

Bohannon was shot in the head by a gunman who fired multiple shots at officers responding to the scene of a 911 call for “a person shot.” A second responding officer was shot in the leg by the gunman, suffering non-life-threatening injuries. After an hours long standoff with police, where the shooter continued to fire on officers, the gunman was taken into custody.

Officer Bohannon, or “Bo” as he was affectionately known by some of his co-workers, was a four-year veteran of the city police department. He is the first officer killed in the city since 2011.

“Bo was described as a ‘difference-maker’ by those who knew him well,” Jeff Roorda, business manager for the St. Louis Police Officers Association, said in a statement.

“He sought to make a difference for all people in the community he served because they mattered. The unnecessary sacrifice of this dedicated public servant should be mourned by all because his life mattered.

“Bo’s loss will be deeply felt by those who worked with him and those he served in this community,” Roorda said. “But his loss will be most keenly felt by his family and close friends. To his family and friends, the SLPOA offers our deepest condolences and support in this difficult time.  We will never forget or fail to honor his dedication or the sacrifice of our brother in blue, Tamarris L. Bohannon. Godspeed, Bo.”

‘TRYING TO DO THEIR JOB’
Officers were searching for a reported shooting victim when the gunman shot Bohannon in the head and the other officer in the leg, said Chief John Hayden of St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

The gunman had ordered a couple out of their home at gunpoint and barricaded himself inside.

The officers were “trying to do their job, that’s all they’re trying to do and they’re suffering under gunfire,” Hayden said.

‘SELFLESSLY SERVED AND PROTECTED’
“The loss of this great man is felt deeply within the St. Louis community and we ask for your prayers and support in the days ahead,” a statement published on the police department’s Twitter account said.

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson released a statement saying she was “heartbroken” at Bohannon’s death. She said Bohannon’s family are “immensely proud of the way he selflessly served and protected our community with distinction and honor for more than three years.

“This is a horrific reminder of the dangers our brave men and women willingly face every day to keep us safe,” Krewson said.