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Shootings in Maplewood

In the St. Louis inner ring suburb of Maplewood: a rookie firefighter-paramedic killed, two police officers wounded by a gunman who “might still be holed in a burning home,” according to a Post-Dispatch report. Earlier reports at KMOV stated that it was a vehicle that had been on fire, which is what brought the firefighters to the scene.

The slain firefighter, 22-year-old Ryan Hummert, was shot as he exited the fire truck.

The area is cordoned off and the standoff continues. From the P-D:

Three hours later, dozens of police cars from a mix of area departments were still there. Many of the officers are crouching behind police cars with their weapons drawn. The St. Louis County police explosives unit rolled up after 9 a.m., as did an armored vehicle from the U.S. Marine Corps. FBI agents were suiting up in tactical gear. About 10:15 a.m., large puffs of black smoke billowed from the house on Zephyr.

Some nearby residents have been evacuated.

Update: The standoff has ended, vaguely: The burning house in which the gunman was apparently hiding has burned to the ground; authorities have not said that a body was found. They have not confirmed that the gunman was the owner of the house, though news organizations are speculating to that effect. The cordon around the area has apparently been lifted, and the major thoroughfare - Big Bend Boulevard - has been reopened to traffic.

Television stations and STLtoday.com have produced features on the young slain firefighter, Ryan Hummert.

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