This morning we are keeping Christian County Sheriff's Department and the families affected by the horrible shootings, in our thoughts and prayers.
We thank the brave men and women who lay their lives on the line each and every day. We mourn the loss of these brave individuals and we lift their families up in prayer.

The below news article was published and released by KY3. We do not own any rights to the content published.

NEAR HIGHLANDVILLE, Mo. (KY3) - A traffic stop, manhunt, and shootout Monday and Tuesday left two deputies dead and two more deputies injured.

Tuesday morning, law enforcement cleared the scene near the roundabout on State Highway 160, near Reeds Spring. A house and wooded area had been taped off as the crime scene.

It all started around 4 p.m. on February 23. Christian County Deputy Gabriel Ramirez pulled over Richard Bird in a traffic stop. Bird shot Ramirez and drove away. Ramirez was killed. A Blue Alert was issued as law enforcement searched for Bird and his truck.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol used a helicopter and heat mapping to find Bird in a wooded area near where his truck was spotted.

The stand-off led to a shootout around midnight on February 24. It took the life of another Christian County deputy, who has not yet been identified.

“Unfortunately, we lost two of our own tonight,” Christian County Sheriff Brad Cole said, “but doing what they took an oath to do, loved and enjoyed, gave their life not only for citizens they served, but for other officers and deputies involved as well.“

Two more deputies, one from Christian County and one from Webster County, were injured. These injuries are believed to be non-life-threatening.

“Long day, trying day, upcoming days harder,” Cole said. “We do what we have to do to make sure our citizens are safe. That’s what we did today, took the bad guy off the street and sent him where he needed to be.”

Bird was also killed in the gunfight.

“Really plain and simple,” said Sheriff Cole. “If you wanna have a gunfight, we’ll have a gunfight, but you’re going to end up dead, and that’s exactly what happened tonight with the suspect.”

Messages of support for the deputies who died came pouring in from law enforcement agencies and government leaders across the state.

The Billings Police Department said in part, “Please pray for the Christian County Sheriff’s Office and the dispatchers who were on the other end of those radio calls, along with answering the 911 calls from the public’s reports. Their lives are forever changed.”

Traffic on State Highway 160 is back open after being closed during the manhunt.

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email.

Copyright 2026 KY3. All rights reserved.