An officer tears down crime scene tape in the 1000 block of Hawkins Bend Drive on Friday, March 21, 2025, after St. Louis County police shot a man who pulled a gun, authorities said.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY — The doctor shot dead by police at his home last week was embroiled in a divorce and trying to finalize custody arrangements of his son.
Dr. Aleksandr G. Lanis, 38, worried his wife was going to take their 4-year-old son overseas, court records show. Lanis had also just been fired from his job with the Mercy hospital network.
On Friday, he was set to be arrested on suspicion of first-degree harassment and tampering with a vehicle, St. Louis County police Sgt. Tracy Panus said. He was accused of showing up at a recreation center on March 8 and tampering with a car that belong to his wife’s relative.
Charges had not been filed against him; Panus said officers wanted to talk to him first.
Dr. Aleksandr Lanis in a 2015 handout from Mercy
Around 10 a.m. Friday, two officers went to the front door of Lanis’ house at 1045 Hawkins Bend Drive near Fenton. They told him he was being arrested, Panus said. While talking to officers in his home, Lanis pulled a gun, Panus said. The officers struggled with him to get the gun, and both shot him in the struggle. Neither officer was shot. Police haven’t said if Lanis fired his weapon.
People are also reading…
Lanis’ estranged wife, Yukiko C. Smith, had moved out of the home on Hawkins Bend Drive some time ago and was living in Chesterfield. She and the couple’s son were not at the home when Lanis was killed.
The couple separated last May, and she filed for divorce in June. According to the divorce petition, they were married in 2017 and had one child, a boy who is now 4. The parents had reached a temporary child custody arrangement to have joint physical custody of their son.
Smith could not be reached for comment. Her family issued a statement Monday night about Lanis' death, saying in part, "This was not the outcome we ever wanted in what was a very challenging situation."Â
Smith's family, in its statement, also asked for privacy as "we search for the words and strength to help a 4-year-old boy understand what happened to his father as we continue to process this as well."Â They said they are grieving for Lanis' family, too.
Lanis was suspected of harassment and tampering after he showed up at The Pavilion at Lemay on March 8. The is a recreation center inside Jefferson Barracks Park. Police said Lanis had no reason to be there other than to harass his estranged wife.
The wife had an order of protection against Lanis that apparently was canceled and replaced by a consent order in the divorce case. According to a court document, Lanis was to stay away from Smith, Lanis was not to possess firearms and the couple's custody exchanges of their son had to take place at his school or a Fenton police station.
Lanis was concerned Smith wanted to visit her family in Japan and would take the boy with her, according to court records. He was delaying filling out paperwork to allow Smith to secure a passport for their son, court documents said. As a "measure of good faith," court files said, Smith agreed to hand over the child's passport to an appointed attorney who advocates for the child's best interests.
Lanis graduated from medical school at St. Louis University and was fluent in Russian. He worked out of Mercy’s primary care office on Weber Hill Road and received nearly perfect marks on post-care surveys, according to Mercy’s website. Patients called him prompt, friendly and informative.
Bethany Pope, a spokesperson for Mercy, said he was fired earlier this month. Mercy did not disclose why he was fired, and Pope said she couldn’t comment on personnel issues.
Mercy has since deleted his photo and any mention of him from its website.
Patient complaints against doctors aren’t public record in Missouri. Lanis did not have any disciplinary record with the state.
Pam Farris, a patient of his for at least five years until she moved in 2023, said she was shocked and saddened when she read about his death.
“I can’t believe this has happened to him,†she said on Monday. “It does not sound like the doctor and the person I knew. He was a fabulous doctor, a fabulous person.â€
Editor's note: The story was updated at 8:45 p.m. Monday with statement from Smith's family and details clarifying the passport issue.
This webpage showing Dr. Lanis remained online through at least Nov. 2, 2024, according to a copy captured by the Internet Archive.
A man suspected in a harassment case was shot and killed by St. Louis County police officers on Hawkins Bend Drive in South St. Louis County on Friday, March 21, 2025.
