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| Shooting at Missouri Gas Station Leaves 5 Dead, Including Police Officer and Attacker | Shooting at Missouri Gas Station Leaves 5 Dead, Including Police Officer and Attacker |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A shooting that spanned about five miles across a Missouri city ended with a car crash and a rampage at a gas station Sunday night, leaving five people dead including a police officer and the attacker, the authorities said. | A shooting that spanned about five miles across a Missouri city ended with a car crash and a rampage at a gas station Sunday night, leaving five people dead including a police officer and the attacker, the authorities said. |
| The police in Springfield, Mo., said Monday morning that they first received a call about a shooting at 11:24 p.m. Sunday, in the southeast area of the city, about 220 miles southwest of St. Louis. | The police in Springfield, Mo., said Monday morning that they first received a call about a shooting at 11:24 p.m. Sunday, in the southeast area of the city, about 220 miles southwest of St. Louis. |
| While officers were responding, more reports followed about shootings at northern locations, and at about 11:43 p.m., a call came in at the Kum & Go gas station and convenience store on East Chestnut Expressway, near Highway 65. | While officers were responding, more reports followed about shootings at northern locations, and at about 11:43 p.m., a call came in at the Kum & Go gas station and convenience store on East Chestnut Expressway, near Highway 65. |
| “In essence, we had a roving active shooter moving from the south side of the city up,” Chief Paul Williams of the Springfield Police Department said in a news conference Monday. | “In essence, we had a roving active shooter moving from the south side of the city up,” Chief Paul Williams of the Springfield Police Department said in a news conference Monday. |
| Callers told the police that a car had crashed at the scene and that someone with a gun had entered the store and started shooting customers and employees. | Callers told the police that a car had crashed at the scene and that someone with a gun had entered the store and started shooting customers and employees. |
| The first two officers who arrived at the scene, Christopher Walsh and Josiah Overton, were “immediately fired upon by the suspect,” Chief Williams said in a statement. Both officers were injured. | The first two officers who arrived at the scene, Christopher Walsh and Josiah Overton, were “immediately fired upon by the suspect,” Chief Williams said in a statement. Both officers were injured. |
| When more officers arrived, they removed Officers Walsh and Overton. The police then made their way into the store, and found the attacker dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. | When more officers arrived, they removed Officers Walsh and Overton. The police then made their way into the store, and found the attacker dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. |
| They also found three other people dead and another person with a bullet wound. That person was taken to a hospital. | |
| Officer Walsh died at a hospital. Officer Overton was treated for a non-life-threatening injury. | Officer Walsh died at a hospital. Officer Overton was treated for a non-life-threatening injury. |
| The police did not identify the other victims or give any details about the attacker, including sex. Jasmine Bailey, a spokeswoman for the Springfield Police Department, said the police did not yet know what may have motivated the shooter, but believed the attacker was shooting at different locations while heading north toward the gas station. | The police did not identify the other victims or give any details about the attacker, including sex. Jasmine Bailey, a spokeswoman for the Springfield Police Department, said the police did not yet know what may have motivated the shooter, but believed the attacker was shooting at different locations while heading north toward the gas station. |
| “We are still actively investigating multiple crime scenes and dealing with grieving over the loss of one of our own,” Chief Williams said. | “We are still actively investigating multiple crime scenes and dealing with grieving over the loss of one of our own,” Chief Williams said. |
| One of the victims was an employee of Kum & Go, the company said. “There are no words to express the shock and sorrow many of us are feeling,” a spokesman, Ariel Rubin, said on Monday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, and their friends and families.” | One of the victims was an employee of Kum & Go, the company said. “There are no words to express the shock and sorrow many of us are feeling,” a spokesman, Ariel Rubin, said on Monday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, and their friends and families.” |
| Officer Overton, 25, has been with the Springfield Police Department for two years. Officer Walsh, 32, had served with the department since 2016 and was assigned as a patrol officer. | Officer Overton, 25, has been with the Springfield Police Department for two years. Officer Walsh, 32, had served with the department since 2016 and was assigned as a patrol officer. |
| Officer Walsh was a Springfield native and a U.S. Army veteran, and had remained active with the Army Reserves for 10 years, the department said. | Officer Walsh was a Springfield native and a U.S. Army veteran, and had remained active with the Army Reserves for 10 years, the department said. |
| “Chris died a hero, rushing in without regard to his own safety to protect members of his community,” Chief Williams said. “His courageous actions serve as an example to us all.” | “Chris died a hero, rushing in without regard to his own safety to protect members of his community,” Chief Williams said. “His courageous actions serve as an example to us all.” |
| The mayor of Springfield, Ken McClure, offered his “deepest sympathy to the families of Officer Chris Walsh and three citizens who lost their lives in the senseless shooting.” | The mayor of Springfield, Ken McClure, offered his “deepest sympathy to the families of Officer Chris Walsh and three citizens who lost their lives in the senseless shooting.” |
| He added, ”We are indebted and very grateful for our officers who exhibit extreme bravery for our protection. Officer Walsh made the ultimate sacrifice.” | He added, ”We are indebted and very grateful for our officers who exhibit extreme bravery for our protection. Officer Walsh made the ultimate sacrifice.” |
| The shooting took place in a neighborhood with a mix of businesses, including a strip mall, a container store, fast-food restaurants, and some residences to the south. | |
| Springfield, a city of about 168,000 people in Greene County, was like most of the country on Monday bracing for the coronavirus outbreak. The county had three reported cases as of Monday, and city leaders held an emergency council meeting around midday to discuss measures recommended by the Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention. |