Police in Missouri shoot a suspect who opened fire on officers after a crash
CRYSTAL CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police in Missouri shot and wounded a suspect Sunday who authorities say opened fire after crashing his vehicle, in which investigators found the body of a female.
Police in the St. Louis suburb of Festus received a call around 11:10 a.m. of a report of shots fired near a restaurant, Festus Police Chief Doug Wendel said. Officers, joined by police from nearby Crystal City, found the suspect on a highway and attempted to stop the black pickup he was driving, Wendel said.
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The vehicle struck a concrete median barrier and crashed near a store, Wendel said.
The suspect, wearing body armor, exited the vehicle and fired shots, Crystal City Police Chief Chad Helms said.
Two Crystal City police officers returned fire, wounding the man, who was taken to a hospital, Helms said. He had multiple gunshot wounds, Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said. The officers were uninjured, Helms said.
In the vehicle, investigators found the body of a female they believe was dead before the shooting, Marshak said. Investigators are working to determine the cause of death, he said.
Authorities did not name the suspect, the deceased or the two officers.