During a 13-hour standoff, the Missouri State Highway Patrol SWAT squad on Monday made an arrest of a man suspected of killing a police officer.
At Hermann, Missouri, police detained Kenneth Lee Simpson, a resident of Eureka, Missouri. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the 35-year-old is a suspect in the shooting of two Hermann police officers on Sunday. Sgt. Mason Griffith, one of the officers, passed away from his wounds, while Adam Sullentrup, a 31-year-old officer, was hospitalized and remains in critical condition.
On State Highway 19, a Casey’s General Store was the scene of the incident. According to reports, the cops went inside the shop to take Simpson into custody on a number of Franklin and Warren County warrants.
After the shooting, Simpson hid in a house next to the convenience store, according to the St. Louis Dispatch.On Monday at around 11 a.m. CST, police reportedly used a robot to open a screen door to the house before sending a drone inside to look for the culprit. A tactical squad fired tear gas into the house at around 2:00 pm, forcing Simpson to leave. At that point, he was taken into custody.
According to a tweet from the FBI, Griffith had been a member of the Hermann Police Department for 13 years. His age was not immediately known, though.
Governor Mike Parsons wrote, “Detective Sergeant Mason Griffith of the Hermann Police Department will never be forgotten, and Missouri will always be grateful. Teresa and I are saying a prayer for Mason’s friends, family, and law enforcement colleagues.
