Judge recuses himself in St. Louis police shooting case

ST. LOUIS -- A St. Louis judge is stepping away from the case of a police officer accused of killing a female colleague while playing a variation of Russian roulette.

Circuit Judge David Roither on Friday recused himself following a motion from the attorney for officer Nathaniel Hendren. The motion said Roither's comments at an earlier hearing suggested bias against Hendren.

At the hearing, Roither said, among other things, that as a hunter he knows you "don't point a muzzle at anything you don't intend to shoot."

Hendren is charged with involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the Jan. 24 death of officer Katyln Alix. Prosecutors said Hendren and Alix took turns pointing a gun loaded with one bullet at each other and pulling the trigger. Alix was shot in the chest.