Fantasia On A Theme Of Katlyn Alix

I'm sure that most of you will have heard the tragic story of Katlyn Alix, the St Louis police officer who was shot and killed by a fellow officer whilst playing a game akin to Russian Roulette (instead of firing a revolver with only one bullet in its barrel at their own temples, they were firing at each other). What the hell were they thinking?

I can't really say why – perhaps because there are so many unanswered questions, perhaps simply because she was so pretty – but i've become almost obsessed with this woman and her terrible death at the age of twenty-four.

The shooter – Nathaniel Hendren – and his partner, who were on duty, were at Hendren's house (when they were supposed to be patrolling two miles away). Katlyn (who was off-duty) joined them there.

OK, first questions: why were the two on-duty police officers there, and why did Katlyn meet them there? She was a married woman and it was 1 a.m.... Hendren had been drinking, his partner may or may not have been; there's no word about Katlyn, the toxicology reports haven't been made public yet.

Three times the gun (a non-service revolver) was fired: Hendren, once, into empty space, Katlyn, once, at Hendren, and then Hendren at Alix and – i have a vivid picture in my mind's eye – it went into her chest, knocked her head over heels and killed her.

The two officers rushed her to hospital but she was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

Hendren, charged with involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action, showed up in court the next day with a black eye, which he claims was the result of his head-butting a police SUV. Huh?!? I've never heard of anyone head-butting anyone (or anything) with their eye. What i suspect here, without any evidence whatsoever, is that his partner walloped him, saying something along the lines of, you stupid fuck, have you any idea how much shit you've landed us in? (The partner hasn't been charged with anything but is on paid administrative leave for now.)

But, poor Katlyn. I met her, you know. Twice.

When i was in St Louis, two years ago, she had just graduated from the police academy and was on foot patrol down by the Gateway Arch with an older officer, a mentor maybe. I went down there to the riverfront almost every day, i loved it there.

To be honest, i don't remember her face, although i thought she had a nice smile. What i remember is her name tag, and the unusual spelling of her surname: “ALIX.” For some reason that stayed in my mind. She was talking to people (tourists), asking where they were from and how were they enjoying St Louis, etc., and when she came to me she was fascinated to learn that i was from Canada. We spoke for a good four or five minutes, about the differences and similarities between the two countries. It was an extraordinarily pleasant interlude. She was very nice and i enjoyed chatting with her.

As i said, i was down at the riverfront almost every day, but it wasn't until a couple of days later that i saw her again and she greeted me almost like an old friend, asking all about my visit: what had i seen, what had i done, etc. She seemed genuinely interested, and she recommended a couple of other places of interest; frankly, i don't recall what they were but i'm pretty sure i didn't manage to visit them.

I never saw her again. Now, of course, i never will – and the fact is, that i never met her at all: meeting her is 100% fantasy. It baffles me why this poor woman's end has had such an effect on me, though. I need to remember her.

Her family started a GoFundMe campaign to help pay funeral expenses – there's the procession down there – and their goal was $5000. When i went to donate, they'd already raised almost twice that amount, so i didn't get my credit card out. Still, i'd like to do something in her memory. Any ideas?

I've been in touch (via Facebook) with someone who knew her, asking if Katlyn had a favourite charity or favourite cause: no response as yet, but maybe making a donation will help me to stop crying (although i doubt it).

R.I.P. Katlyn.