By Bill Bryan
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
An armed woman with a history of mental problems was shot and wounded by her brother, a St. Louis police officer, during an early-morning domestic incident at their parents’ home in Affton, authorities said.
Sgt. Steve DeBisschop, 54, fired three times at his sister, 47, after she threatened to shoot him, officials said. The woman suffered a graze wound of the right shoulder at the base of the neck and was taken to a hospital for treatment of the wound and psychiatric evaluation.
She is considered under arrest, and at some point criminal charges will be sought against her, said Officer Tracy Panus of the St. Louis County Police Department, which is investigating.
Panus said Wednesday afternoon that it was too soon to determine whether DeBisschop’s actions were considered justified.
It happened shortly after 2 a.m., after DeBisschop was called to his father’s home in the 9800 block of Vera Cruz Drive to try to calm his sister. The woman was armed with a gun belonging to her father, who is a retired St. Louis police sergeant, authorities said; when she pointed the weapon at DeBisschop and threatened to shoot him, he fired.
DeBisschop is a 34-year veteran of the St. Louis Police Department.
Copyright 2006 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc.
All Rights Reserved