HERMANN, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri police officer was fatally shot and a second officer was seriously wounded in an overnight shooting that was followed by an apparent police standoff with the suspect, police said.
The Missouri Highway Patrol announced early Monday that Detective Sgt. Mason Griffith with the Hermann Police Department died of his injuries at a hospital after being shot at a convenience store in the small town about 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
The highway patrol said a second Hermann officer who was shot remains hospitalized in serious condition. Highway patrol spokesman Corporal Kyle Green told KTVI-TV the wounded officer was brought to a St. Louis hospital for treatment.
Authorities have not released details describing what led to the shooting or said whether officers returned fire.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the highway patrol identified the shooting suspect as Kenneth Lee Simpson, 35, of Eureka, Missouri, and that police were involved in an apparent manhunt near a house in Hermann along Highway 19, not far from the convenience store where the shooting happened.
Police surrounded the home and yelled at the alleged gunman to come outside. Officers earlier had searched near a motel in Hermann, where Simpson and his girlfriend may have rented a room Sunday, the Post-Dispatch reported.
Online Missouri court records show Simpson faced previous criminal charges involving drugs, weapons offenses, assault and property damage. A St. Louis County judge issued a warrant for his arrest in August when Simpson failed to show up in court in a drug possession case, the Post-Dispatch reported.
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GASCONADE COUNTY —The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued a Blue Alert late Sunday after two police officers were shot in Hermann, Missouri.
EMS transported both injured officers to area hospitals. Detective Sergeant Mason Griffith died of his injuries. The second officer is in serious but stable condition, according to MSHP Troop F.
The suspect has been identified as 35-year-0ld Kenneth Lee Simpson who drives a Black 2014 Jeep Wrangler with license plate RF5A0P. Police were unsure whether Simpson was on foot or driving the vehicle when he fled. Hermann is located three hours east of Kansas City.
A Blue Alert is issued to give police an early warning of threats against police officers and to aid in the apprehension of suspects who have killed or seriously injured an officer.