ST. LOUIS, Mo. — State troopers held a man Tuesday night they said was driving a car wanted in connection with the killing of University City police Sgt. Michael King.
They would not confirm that the driver is Todd L. Shepard, 41, said by officers here to be the only man sought for questioning in the Halloween night ambush on the Delmar Loop. The police alert for Shepard was canceled after the arrest.
Sgt. Dan Green of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said the 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass was nabbed about 2 p.m. on Interstate 70 in a rural setting in Lafayette County, near Kansas City. Green described it as a “routine traffic stop” and would not provide details except to say the driver was alone.
Police from University City were headed there to confirm the identity of the man in custody.
Shepard, of Berkeley, who officials said has pleaded guilty in the past of felony drug dealing and assault, has been sought since shortly after the killing. He has not been charged.
Police have not said how Shepard came to their attention. They say they do not know of a motive for the murder.
King, 50, was in uniform, parked on Leland Avenue just off Delmar Boulevard, when someone approached his marked patrol car and shot him in the head about 10:20 p.m. Friday. The killer got into a car, fled west on Delmar Boulevard and eluded pursuing officers.
University City police did not return phone calls late Tuesday or respond to requests for information in person at their headquarters.