Police Officer Killed, 2 Others Wounded While Responding to 911 Call

Stock photo of police tape. (Carl Ballou/Shutterstock)

A police officer was shot and killed in Missouri while responding to a 911 call on Tuesday night March 6, authorities said.

Local police have named the victim as 30-year-old Christopher Ryan Morton. He had recently returned to full-time duty to replace a fallen officer.

Police received the 911 call at about 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday. During the call, two women were heard screaming in the background, Fox News reported.

As three officers arrived at the home on West Grand River Street, a man started shooting with a semi-automatic rifle, and officers shot back in an attempt to arrest him. But the man continued shooting, wounding all the officers.

Morton was taken to a hospital and was later pronounced dead.

Two other officers, who were not identified, were wounded in the shooting. According to CNN, the two other officers are in stable condition and are being treated for gunshot wounds, one in the arm and the other in the shoulder.

The shooter then barricaded himself in the home and was discovered dead by a SWAT team shortly after midnight. The cause of his death is unclear.

Morton had served as a reserve officer and full-time officer with the Clinton Police Department for three years. He is survived by his parents and siblings.

“It’s a small department,” Sgt. Bill Lowe said, according to Fox News.

“It’s small enough that you know each individual officer and the community knows each individual officer, and it’s hard to put into words when you’re talking about an agency of this size, a community of this size where something tragic like this happened just seven months ago.”

Clinton in Missouri. (Screenshot via Google Maps)

Missouri Rep. Vicky Hartzler expressed grief for the fallen officer in a tweet.

“Grieving for the families & the officers of the Clinton Police Dept who lost another one of their own last night in the line of duty. Officer Christopher Ryan Morton gave the #UltimateSacrifice” she wrote.

She added, “Two others injured. It’s 7 mo to the day from when Clinton Officer Gary Michael was killed. I met with the dept last year after that incident; they’re an amazing, professional, dedicated, caring unit. My prayers are with them all.”

Morton’s death comes after police officer Gary Michael was fatally shot in Missouri on August 6, 2017.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, there have been 26 deaths of police officers this year, including accidents and 9/11 related illnesses.

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