April 29 (UPI) — A St. Louis police officer pleaded not guilty Monday to charges he killed a fellow off-duty officer during a Russian roulette-style game earlier this year.
Nathaniel Hendren, 29, pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action for the Jan. 24 death of officer Katlyn Alix, 24.
Some attendees at the hearing at the Carnahan Courthouse chanted “lock him up” and “justice for Katie.”
Alix died during the shooting at Hendren’s apartment, with Hendren’s partner, Patrick Riordan also in attendance. Hendren and Alix were playing with guns when Hendren pulled out a non-department-issued revolver, police said.
Hendren unloaded all the bullets and then put one back in, spun the cylinder, pointed it away and pulled the trigger, but the gun did not fire, according to the statement of probable cause. Alix took the gun, pointed it at Hendren and pulled the trigger, but the gun again did not fire, authorities said.
Hendren then took the gun back from Alix and pulled the trigger, shooting Alix in the chest, police said. She later died at a hospital.
Riordan, who hasn’t been charged with a crime, told investigators he told Hendren and Alix they should not be playing with guns and reminded them they were police officers. He said he almost left because he didn’t want anything to do with it, but he heard a shot.
Hendren and his partner reported the shooting on their police radios and took Alix to the hospital in their police department SUV.
