Two Missouri sheriff's deputies were shot and killed and two more were injured after a suspect opened fire during a traffic stop and led authorities on an hours-long manhunt that ended in a shootout, authorities said.
The suspect, 45-year-old Richard Dean Bird, was also killed in the exchange of gunfire, authorities said.
Bird was pulled over by a deputy on the afternoon of Feb. 23 near Highlandville, Missouri, a small city in Christian County about 20 miles from downtown Springfield. During the traffic stop, Bird allegedly shot and killed Christian County Sheriff's Deputy Gabriel Ramirez, 30.
Bird fled, and local and state authorities began a search that would last about nine hours and stretch into the night, reported the Springfield News-Leader, part of the USA TODAY Network. The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued a "Blue Alert," used when a law enforcement officer is killed or seriously injured in the line of duty, which was canceled at about 1 a.m. on Feb. 24, the News-Leader reported.
Late on the night of Feb. 23, law enforcement agencies found Bird's vehicle and began searching a wooded area. At about 11:38 p.m. on Feb. 23, Bird began firing with a rifle, Christian County Sheriff Brad Cole said at a news conference. Two deputies were wounded and Deputy Michael Hislope, 40, was also killed, the sheriff's office said. Bird was then shot and killed by law enforcement.