A police officer was shot to death while pursuing a suspect in Missouri.
The Tuesday pursuit began after officers responded to a report of a disturbance around 1:22 PM in Joplin, Missouri, at a local shopping center.
Officers encountered the suspect at the shopping center, police said, where they immediately exchanged fire. Two officers were shot before the pursuit continued, with the second exchange of fire occurring several minutes later when a third officer and the suspect were shot.
Both the officer and the suspect died, according to the police. One of the other officers shot was in critical condition, while the third was in serious but stable condition.
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Police confirmed the suspect stole a patrol car after the first exchange of fire. He wrecked the car before fleeing on foot to the location where he and the third officer were shot.
Details are still being gathered, Joplin’s assistant police chief said at an impromptu press conference Tuesday night.
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Sixty-six police officers have died in the line of duty in 2022, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe tweeted he was “praying for the officers involved in the shooting today in Joplin, as well as for their families and fellow officers.”
