Deputy in Christian County is fatally shot. Suspect identified, Blue Alert issued
The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued a Blue Alert to several regions of the state Monday afternoon following the fatal shooting of a Christian County deputy.
The alert was issued out of Highlandville, Missouri, located between Springfield and Branson. Highlandville is about 190 miles from the Kansas City area.
The alert was issued following the fatal shooting of a deputy in Christian County just before 4 p.m., the alert said.
On Monday evening, the highway patrol identified the shooting suspect as 45-year-old Richard Dean Bird, according to the updated Blue Alert.
Bird is bald with brown eyes, weighs around 145 pounds and is 5 feet, 6 inches tall, according to the alert. He may have a beard. Investigators believe he is armed.
Troopers have located a white 2001 Chevy Silverado believed to have been driven by Bird, according to the alert.
The truck was last seen traveling southbound on U.S. 160 from Route HH in Christian County.
What is a blue alert?
Blue alerts are issued in Missouri following incidents that kill, seriously injure or pose imminent threats to law enforcement officials, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s website.
Blue alerts were implemented nationwide in 2016, after the United States Congress passed the Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act in 2015, according to the website. The act honored two New York City police officers killed in an ambush the year prior.
This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 5:13 PM.
