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3 Police Officers Shot, 1 Fatally, In Missouri

Updated at 7:02 a.m. ET

Three police officers were shot, one fatally, after responding to a call from a residence in Clinton, Mo., on Tuesday night, according to police.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol's Troop A division tweeted that the shooting suspect was "located deceased inside of the residence."

The three officers shot were from the Clinton Police Department, the highway patrol said. Two officers were injured and are being treated in the hospital for their injuries.

The highway patrol tweeted Wednesday morning that Police Officer Christopher Ryan Morton, age 30, was killed.

Sgt. Bill Lowe of the Missouri State Highway Patrol told reporters earlier on Wednesday that he believed the two other officers had non-life-threatening injuries.

Lowe said police responded to a call on Tuesday night after hearing two women "screaming in the background."

When they arrived at about 9:25, they were "shot at by the suspect from inside the residence." After engaging with the suspect, they entered the residence, which is when the three officers were shot.

Lowe told reporters that the officers were able to leave the location, while the suspect remained barricaded inside.

Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the scene. The highway patrol's Troop A SWAT team then went in shortly after midnight to find the suspect dead. Lowe said the two women were not injured.

The incident occurred exactly seven months after Clinton Police Officer Gary Michael was shot during a traffic stop and later died at a hospital.

"It's just another tragic event for this community and especially this police department," Lowe said. "They've endured a lot; they're going to endure more."

The names of two of the officers and suspect have not been released.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control is now investigating, he said.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

James Doubek is an associate editor and reporter for NPR. He frequently covers breaking news for NPR.org and NPR's hourly newscast. In 2018, he reported feature stories for NPR's business desk on topics including electric scooters, cryptocurrency, and small business owners who lost out when Amazon made a deal with Apple.