Manhunt Ends After Suspect Killed, 2 Christian County Mo Deputies Slain and Two Officers Wounded
A traffic stop in southwestern Missouri escalated into a multijurisdictional manhunt that ended with the death of the suspect and the loss of two sheriff’s deputies. The incident, which began during a stop on State Highway 160 near Route HH, left two deputies dead, two officers wounded and sparked a Blue Alert for a pickup truck feared to be connected to the shooting.
Christian County Mo manhunt and vehicle alert
The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued a Blue Alert for a white 2001 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab pickup with Missouri license plate 9MGX36 after a Christian County deputy was shot just before 4 p. m. on Monday. The truck was described as having a silver brush guard, a rusted roof, black body trim, tinted rear windows and a three-ball hitch. It was last reported traveling southbound on U. S. Route 160 from Route HH in Christian County; U. S. 160 runs south through southern Missouri and crosses into north-central Arkansas east of Harrison.
Authorities warned the public not to approach the vehicle and to call 911 if it was seen. The Blue Alert is used when a suspect is believed to have seriously injured or killed a law enforcement officer and may pose an ongoing threat.
Traffic stop on State Highway 160 and Route HH
The initial encounter began around 4 p. m. local time on Monday during a traffic stop on State Highway 160 at Route HH, south of Highlandville. Deputies who pulled the vehicle over were met with gunfire; two deputies from the Christian County Sheriff’s Office died from their wounds. Officials have identified one of the deputies as Deputy Gabriel Ramirez, 30 years old. The other deputy killed has not been identified in the provided context.
Two additional officers were wounded in the sequence of events. Sheriff Brad Cole said one of the wounded officers was from Christian County and the other from Webster County; their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Final confrontation near Reeds Spring and search tactics
After the initial shooting, the vehicle was found abandoned and a large search followed. Sheriff Brad Cole said roughly 100 officers, deputies and state troopers took part in the manhunt, and federal agents from the U. S. Marshals Service, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also assisted.
The suspect was identified as Richard Bird. The provided context gives his age as 45 in one account. Bird ran into a wooded area after abandoning the truck. A Highway Patrol helicopter detected a moving heat signature during the search, and deputies moved in. At that point the suspect opened fire and deputies returned fire; law officers shot and killed Bird. There is an inconsistency in the timeline in the available material: one account places the renewed exchange of gunfire early Tuesday morning near the roundabout on State Highway 160 near Reeds Spring, while another account describes Bird as being taken into custody Monday night and later confirmed dead. The timing is unclear in the provided context.
Officials, reactions and community impact
Stone County officials confirmed the suspect was dead after the search. Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader said it was "probably the worst day in the history of the Christian County Sheriff's Office. " Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe was in contact with Sheriff Cole while police were searching, urging anyone with information to come forward.
U. S. senators from Missouri spoke about the shooting. Senator Josh Hawley said he and his wife were praying for the slain deputy’s family and called for swift justice. Senator Eric Schmitt described the loss as devastating for Christian County. Missouri State Representative Jamie Ray Gragg asked the community to pray for the deputy’s family and for officers working to locate the suspect while grieving, and he expressed hope the situation would end without additional bloodshed.
What makes this notable is the rapid escalation from a routine traffic stop to a prolonged, resource-intensive manhunt involving roughly 100 personnel and multiple federal agencies, underscoring how a single traffic enforcement action produced lethal consequences and a wide-area search. The shootings have left two families mourning, two other officers recovering from wounds that are not life-threatening, and investigators piecing together a timeline that is not fully consistent across initial accounts.
The CBS update timestamped February 24, 2026, appears in one account of the case timeline; other reporting places parts of the search and the final shootout at different times in the overnight period. Additional investigative details, including formal identification of all officers involved and the precise chronology of the final confrontation, remain unclear in the provided context.
