WATCH: Body camera footage shows former STL county cop’s arrest after firing shots during Kirkwood Trunk-or-Treat event
Matthew McCulloch is serving a suspended sentence of five years’ probation after firing his gun at a family Halloween event in 2023.
KIRKWOOD, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Newly released police body camera footage shows the chaotic moments after former St. Louis County officer Matthew McCulloch opened fire during a 2023 trunk-or-treat event filled with hundreds of children and families in Kirkwood.
The footage, obtained exclusively by First Alert 4, captures Kirkwood police officers rushing to a parking lot of North Kirkwood Middle School the night of Oct. 15, 2023, when McCulloch fired 12 shots into the air during what his attorneys described as a bipolar manic episode.
While no one was physically harmed, the body camera footage details a scene of panic as parents and kids scrambled for cover.
In the footage, McCulloch is seen bloodied after being tackled and beaten by parents attending the event. When Kirkwood Police arrive and detain the off-duty officer, the now-convicted felon demands officers take him off the ground and put him in the back of a police cruiser, to which an officer says, “You don’t run the show.” McCulloch responds, “I do actually, and you guys know it.”
McCulloch also identifies himself as a law enforcement officer to the police arresting him.
McCulloch, the son of longtime St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch, who left the role in 2018, and nephew of current St. Charles County Prosecutor Joe McCulloch pleaded guilty to eight felony charges in January, including child endangerment and making a terroristic threat. He was sentenced in March to a suspended sentence of five years of supervised probation, no prison time, sparking backlash from parents who were at the scene.
His probation include no with victims, random drug testing, mandatory therapy, sobriety, a ban on firearm possession and regular court check-ins, among other requirements. His first court-ordered check-in is set for 9 a.m. on July 11.
The newly released video has reignited concern among families, who say the punishment does not fit the danger they experienced.
“You start reading about these things after something happens to you and see there are all sorts of angles, but I do wish there were more of a prison sentence, something more than what was given out,” says parent Bobby Shah, who has been outspoken against McCulloch’s sentencing previously.
The Shah family says the footage only reinforces their belief that McCulloch should have been sentenced to prison, citing that McCulloch appears calmer than the psychiatrist who testified McCulloch was having a manic episode painted him.
“I’m frustrated because McCulloch seems more in control than the [psychiatrist] made him sound,” Shah said.
Family Ties
First Alert 4 asked St. Louis County Prosecutor Melissa Price Smith whether McCulloch’s family ties should have prompted a change of venue.
“I, along with most people in my office, believe that case should’ve been conflicted out to another office,” Price Smith told First Alert 4 in an exclusive interview. “I was hired by Bob McCulloch, a lot of people in my office were hired by Bob McCulloch.”
Regardless, Price Smith didn’t lead the office at the time the county took the case. She took the office over from Wesley Bell on Jan. 3, 2025, the same day McCulloch pleaded guilty. Even then, her office was able to recommend prison time for McCulloch, but he took a blind plea, meaning the judge decides the of the sentence.
Though prosecutors recommended a three-year prison sentence, Judge Ellen Ribaudo handed down a lighter punishment, sentencing McCulloch to a suspended sentence of five years of supervised probation. Ribaudo cited a psychiatrist’s testimony that McCulloch was experiencing a manic episode related to bipolar disorder at the time of the shooting and his need for treatment and therapy.
Ribaudo also referenced safety concerns if McCulloch were jailed, given his family’s longstanding ties to law enforcement and the prosecution of violent offenders.
Ribaudo ruled that McCulloch could be more closely monitored and better treated in the community under probation, noting that public safety would be maintained through strict oversight
Parents who were at the event, like Bobby and Lisa Shah, said the bodycam footage reignited painful memories. “It goes from showing up, seeing your friends, everyone having a good time to utter chaos and disbelief,” Bobby said. Their son added, “My first instinct was just to run.”
The Shah family and others believe McCulloch’s ties to powerful figures in the region could have influenced his sentence. “His job was to protect people, and he came from a family that knows the system,” said Bobby Shah. “He knew what the consequences could be.”
First Alert 4 reached out to Bob McCulloch, who hung up the phone mid-conversation. Joe McCulloch declined to comment, and Matthew McCulloch’s attorney, Brian Millikan, also declined to speak on behalf of himself or his client.
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