The suspect in the shooting death of a Missouri deputy is killed in a police shootout.

 

Authorities in Christian County, Missouri, - located between Springfield and Branson - say 45-year-old Richard Dean Bird was shot and killed last night during a shoot out with law enforcement near Reeds Springs, MO. Authorities sought Bird in connection to the shooting death of Christian County Deputy Gabriel Ramirez following a traffic stop on Highway 160 on Monday afternoon.

 

Police tracked Bird to Reeds Springs, where he abandoned his pickup truck and fled into some nearby woods while armed with a rifle. During a shoot out with police, a second sheriff's deputy was killed and two other were injured. Bird was was also shot and killed during the exchange of gunfire.

 

The identities of the additional wounded deputies have not yet been released.

 

Photo: Richard Dean Bird, courtesy Missouri Highway Patrol