Mo. Cop Killed; Suspect Arrested

Wednesday, November 1st 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

DELLWOOD, Mo. (AP) â€” A police officer was shot and killed in what authorities say was a cold-blooded ambush that triggered a four-hour standoff before the suspect surrendered.

Sgt. Richard Eric Weinhold, 44, and three officers were called to a home in St. Louis County on Tuesday after a tenant said he was afraid to approach the house because the suspect was inside and had earlier pointed a shotgun at him.

Weinhold was hit by a shotgun blast shortly after they entered. His bulletproof vest couldn't save him, and he died later at a hospital

``As soon as the officer appeared, he let him have it,'' county police chief Ron Battelle said.

During the standoff, Maj. David Padlowski said two shots were fired, apparently from the basement. Police responded by firing tear gas, followed by two distraction devices, before the unidentified 43-year-old suspect gave himself up.

The other officers weren't injured. The shooting marks the second time in three months that a St. Louis-area police officer has been shot and killed in the line of duty.