Man gets 20 years in prison for killing retired St. Louis police officer during carjacking attempt

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A man who was 16 years old when he fatally shot a retired St. Louis police sergeant has been sentenced to 20 years on prison. Ralph E. Harper was 67 when he was killed during the October 2018 carjacking attempt. Twenty-one-year-old Jalynn Garner pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, robbery and two counts of armed criminal action, and was sentenced Monday. Prosecutors say that during the robbery attempt, Harper fired and struck Garner in the arm. Harper died in the exchange of gunfire. Garner was arrested and certified to stand trial as an adult. An accomplice who was 15 at the time of the crime previously received a suspended 20-year sentence and was placed in juvenile detention until age 21.