47-year-old Dennis Heberlie was shot and killed by a Ste. Genevieve police officer Thursday night.

The trouble started at a convenience store, and then moved to the victim's home.

"He frequents that convenience store quite often, and I think he was just causing some problems in there, and they wanted him to get out," says Ste. Genevieve Police Chief Dale Newman.

The store clerk called police. The officer tried to speak with Heberlie, who took off.

Police followed, and lost sight of the car after a short pursuit, but learned where the suspect lived from the license plate.

Officers then went to Heberlie's residence.

Corporal Al Nothum of the Missouri Highway Patrol says, "All I can tell you is there was an altercation inside that home, a scuffle took place inside that residence and the officer then fired one shot, striking the subject and of course, he died."

The shooting shocked neighbors who knew Heberlie. "He was a loving kind man, he would sit there and play with the kids," said neighbor Amber Wills.

Anther neighbor, Kristy Harris, says, "There's nothing in my mind that would even make me believe he did anything to make these police feel like they had to shoot him."

The officer involved in this shooting is 33-years-old, a two-year veteran of the Ste. Genevieve police department. He's also married to a nine-year veteran of the Missouri Highway Patrol, the same patrol that's handling this investigation.

Corporal Nothum says there's no conflict of interest. "That will have no bearing on this whatsoever, I can promise you that," he says.

The Ste. Genevieve police officer is on administrative leave.

Members of Dennis Heberlie's family did not want to comment on the shooting.

Dennis Heberlie is survived by his mother and four sisters.

Related Article(s): Ste. Genevieve Police Officer Kills Suspect In Struggle, Wrongfuldeathgate

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