Crouched behind a dumpster in a St. Louis alley, Officer Steven Pinkerton heard gunshots.
It was after midnight on Aug. 10, 2013, in the Dutchtown neighborhood and an argument that had been building for hours among a group of young men had escalated into a shootout. Pinkerton said he saw two men rush by the mouth of the alley, shooting as they ran. He couldn’t see what happened next — if anyone had been shot.
After a few minutes, one man, holding a gun, ran down the alley where Pinkerton was staked out.