Joplin police say three officers and a suspect were shot in a confrontation in the southwest Missouri city
JOPLIN, Mo. — Three Joplin police officers and a suspect were wounded Tuesday in a shooting in the southwest Missouri city, police said.
Assistant Police Chief Brian Lewis said the officers responded to a disturbance about 1:30 p.m. outside a store at the Northpark Crossing shopping center. Shots were exchanged and two officers were injured, he said.
The suspect fled, police said, and officers chased him to a street near an apartment complex and residential area in central Joplin. That is where another officer and the suspect were struck.
Lewis said a third scene was involved in the investigation, but he did not provide additional details.
Lewis declined to comment on the conditions of the suspect or the officers. He said there was no threat to the community.
Kim Jenkins, who lives near where the third officer and the suspect were shot, said she saw a man with a gun hiding behind a fence across the street from her home, The Joplin Globe reported.
She said the officer drove down the street and stopped in front of a van the suspect was hiding behind.
That’s when the suspect fired at the officer, apparently shooting him through the windshield of his patrol car.
“I don’t think he even had time to get out when the guy started shooting,” Jenkins said.
Several other officers arrived and exchanged gunfire with the suspect, who was hit by gunfire, she said.
City and police officials did not immediately respond to requests for more information.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is assisting with the investigation, Lewis said.
