St. Louis Police Officers Terminated For Refusing To Help Dying Man Because Their Shift Was Ending

Austin Fraser and Ty Warren didn't help because their shift was over in 30 minutes.

Two St. Louis men who were once police officers for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department are no longer employed after body camera footage revealed that they refused to help a dying man because they were about to be off shift.

According to First Alert 4, the incident took place on Sept. 23, 2023, in Forest Park, when the two former police officers, Austin Fraser, and Ty Warren, were summoned to a 911 call from a man, Urayoan Rodriguez-Rivera, who stated he was going to harm himself. When arriving at the scene, the two former cops found Rodriguez-Rivera in the park, but instead of assisting him or calling for help, they walked away from the man who had a gunshot wound and was still breathing.

Their reason? The two men’s shift was about to end, and they did not want to deal with the issue.

Footage from Warren’s body camera shows the men’s lack of concern for the victim. Fraser stated that they were about to leave in 30 minutes. After finding Rodriguez-Rivera, Warren tells his partner they must take the call, but Fraser remarks that they will leave shortly.

“We need to take this sh** then,” Warren says.

Fraser responds by saying, “We aren’t taking this sh**. I get off in 30 minutes. Let’s cruise around and come back.”

The officers leave the wounded victim, and as they walk away, Fraser says, “They’re gonna find this sh**, and we’re gonna be like, ‘Oh sh**, you found him.’”

Then, both officers laugh as they continue to walk away.

The former police officers returned less than 10 minutes later, pretending to search for Rodriguez-Rivera as another officer arrived. When seeing the two, that third officer contacts dispatch to have them call emergency personnel to come to the scene after finding the victim with the gunshot wound, still breathing on the ground.

When other police officers got to the scene, they roped off the area and, while checking the victim’s pulse, determined that it was “super weak.” Several minutes later, the two former cops are seen leaving the area as the other officers search for a gun and render first aid to Rodriguez-Rivera. As that officer searches the area for a firearm, another officer tries to render first aid.

Other officers mention the two leaving.

“You know what’s fu**ed up? Warren and Fraser just left,” one of the officers is overheard saying in body camera audio. When asked why, he responded, “I don’t know.”

Another officer complained that they “can’t just leave.”

Rodriguez-Rivera later died at the hospital. The St. Louis Medical Examiner’s Office determined the death a suicide by gunshot to the head.

After police administrators discovered the footage during a routine review, both men were terminated.

“The two individuals are no longer employed by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department,” spokesperson Mitch McCoy said in a written statement. “While we are unable to comment on specific personnel matters, SLMPD holds its officers to the highest of standards. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken if an officer is found to have violated policies.”