ST. LOUIS • A man shot and killed a would-be robber Thursday night, police say.

The dead man is Ricky Bates, 43, who police say was trying to rob a 25-year-old man in the 1400 block of Arlington Avenue.

The shooting was at 8:48 p.m. The man who fired the fatal shot called police to report the shooting, police say.

Officers said Bates was dead at the scene. He lived in the 1200 block of Vaughan Drive in University City.

The scene is in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood on the west edge of the city.

Police did not identify the man who killed Bates. Police say they have recovered two guns.

Court records show that Bates' criminal record includes a drug conviction.