Missouri officer killed, another wounded in shooting at convenience store
A Missouri police officer has been killed and a second officer is badly wounded after a shooting at a small-town convenience store. The suspect barricaded himself in a home across the street from where the shooting took place, CBS affiliate KMOV-TV reported.
The shooting at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday killed Detective Sgt. Mason Griffith, the Hermann Police Department said.
Authorities have not released the name of the injured officer. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the injured officer was in serious but stable condition at a hospital.
The patrol has not released information about what led to the shooting. It wasn't clear if the officers returned fire.
The patrol identified the suspect as 35-year-old Kenneth Lee Simpson of St. Louis County, who got away.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Monday that police are focusing their search for Simpson on a home along Highway 19 near Hermann. KMOV reporter Alex Gaul was on the scene and saw troopers moving toward the house with flashbangs and K-9 officers.
Police surrounded the home and yelled for him to come outside. Officers earlier searched near a motel in Hermann, where the Post-Dispatch said Simpson and his girlfriend may have rented a room Sunday.
Online Missouri court records show Simpson has a long history of criminal charges involving drugs, weapons offenses, assault and property damage. A St. Louis County judge issued a warrant for Simpson's arrest in August when he failed to show up in court in a drug possession case.
Simpson has been on the run from authorities since April 2022, KMOV reported.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson tweeted condolences to the fallen officer's family.
"Hermann Police Department Detective Sergeant Mason Griffith will never be forgotten, and Missouri will always be grateful," Parson tweeted. "Teresa and I are praying for Mason's family, friends, and fellow law enforcement officers."
Hermann is a town of about 2,100 residents, about 80 miles west of St. Louis. It is the county seat of Gasconade County.
