Missouri deputy fatally shoots 19-year-old suspected in teen’s shooting
A Lafayette County sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a 19-year-old man early Friday who was suspected in an earlier shooting of a teen in Pittsville, an unincorporated community in Johnson County, Missouri, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
About 2 a.m. Friday, Johnson County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting near Missouri 131 and U.S. 50. Before arriving, the deputies learned a person believed to have been involved had fled, and they requested assistance from the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office to set up a perimeter and search for him. Odessa police also responded.
Once deputies arrived, they found a 17-year-old girl suffering from a gunshot wound inside a vehicle, according to a post on the Johnson County Sheriff’s Facebook page. The sheriff’s office said it was not releasing further details on the shooting, including the victim’s condition.
At about 3:53 a.m., two males were spotted walking along U.S. 50 near Northwest 1601 Road. A Lafayette County Sheriff’s deputy, an Odessa police officer and a Johnson County Sheriff’s deputy, responded and contacted the two males, according to the highway patrol.
One of the males, a 19-year-old man, allegedly matched the description of the person involved the earlier shooting, and he started running. According to the highway patrol, the Lafayette County Sheriff’s deputy and Odessa police officer ran after him, and at 3:54 a.m., the deputy fired his gun, striking him.
The man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the highway patrol.
The highway patrol said other details about the deputy-involved shooting were not being made public to protect the integrity of the investigation, and that additional information would be shared as it becomes available and “is appropriate to release.”
The highway patrol will submit its findings to the Johnson County, Missouri, Prosecuting Attorney for review.
