ST. LOUIS – The jury trial for the man charged with shooting and killing a St. Louis City police officer is expected to start Tuesday.
Thomas Kinworthy is accused of killing St. Louis City Police Officer Tamarris Bohannon in August 2020. Ofc. Bohannon was just 29 years old when he tragically lost his life in the line of duty. Bohannon had been on the force for more than 3.5 years when he was shot and killed. He left behind his wife and three children.
Prosecutors say Bohannon and his partner responded to a shots-fired call near a home on Hartford Street near Tower Grove Park in south St. Louis. A couple who called 911 said they were on the phone with a dispatcher. Kinworthy entered their home, held them at gunpoint, and told them to hang up. The couple escaped out a back door and talked with Ofc. Bohannon.
When Bohannon walked around to the front of the home, investigators say Kinworthy shot him in the head with a 9-millimeter handgun from a second-story window inside that couple’s home. Bohannon’s partner was shot in the leg. The SWAT team arrested Kinworthy after a nearly 12-hour standoff. Ofc. Bohannon died the next day. His partner survived.
Cameras will be allowed in the courtroom during the trial, which is expected to begin at 7:55 a.m. Tuesday at the Civil Courts building downtown. Kinworthy faces ten charges, including first-degree murder.
Opening statements will begin as soon as the jury is officially seated. The trial is expected to last two weeks.
