Officer-involved shooting in Christian County leaves two people dead

Traffic is shut down at Highways 65 & Christian County in Ozark as detectives collect evidence. Investigators say officers opened fire after the driver pointed a gun at them. A man and woman are confirmed dead.

According to the findings of the investigation, a shooting that took place on Saturday morning in Christian County and included an officer resulted in the deaths of two people.

The names of those who were killed have not been made public by the investigators, although there was at least one male and one female victim.

At approximately three in the morning, law enforcement officials in Ozark attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a suspected intoxicated driver near the intersection of State Highway 14 and U.S. Route 65. The motorist did not come to a stop.

The officer from the Ozark Police Department did not give chase to the vehicle. The officer is said to have communicated the information to the Christian County Sheriff’s Office, according to the investigators.

Deputy sheriffs from Christian County found the driver in the Highlandville area and attempted to conduct a traffic stop there as well. According to the investigators, the driver did not stop, thus a pursuit was started after them.

After investigators stated that the motorist attempted to run over a cop, authorities in Christian County carried out a tactical vehicle intervention maneuver in order to stop the driver.

According to the investigators, the suspects did not comply with orders to exit the vehicle when they were given. They allege that a man brandishing a weapon emerged out of the window on the driver’s side of the vehicle.

Both of the victims were struck by gunfire from officers from the Christian County Sheriff’s Office, the Nixa Police Department, and the Ozark Police Department, which ultimately resulted in their deaths.

The Critical Situation Team (SCIT) of the Sheriff’s Office is the one looking into the incident right now. Sheriffs from Greene County, Christian County, Webster County, and Lawrence County are all members of the Special Crimes Investigation Team.