Two Missouri deputies killed hours apart in shootings as suspect is shot dead

Two Missouri sheriff’s deputies were fatally shot, one during a traffic stop and the other hours later during an exchange of gunfire with the suspect, who was also killed, authorities said.Brad Cole, the Christian county sheriff, said the initial shooting happened during a traffic stop south of Highlandville on Monday in south-west Missouri, news outlets reported.About 100 officers, deputies and state troopers helped with the search for the suspect, Cole said. He says US Marshals and FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents were also involved.The suspected shooter’s truck was found abandoned several miles south near Reeds Spring and law enforcement officers searched the area nearby, Cole said. Early Tuesday, after a heat signature was detected in the woods, deputies moved in. Cole said the suspect opened fire, striking three deputies.One Christian county deputy was killed and two other deputies, from Christian and Webster counties, were wounded with injuries that are not considered life-threatening, Cole said. Law enforcement officers on the scene returned fire and the suspect was killed, he said.Cole identified the deputy killed in the initial shooting as Gabriel Ramirez.“Deputy Ramirez was always kind to everybody,” Cole said. “He was always a friend, was always there for anybody who needed a shoulder to lean on.”