At 10:45 p.m. on Sunday, August 6, 2017, a Clinton police officer initiated a traffic stop on a 2008 Dodge Nitro for a traffic violation on Green Street south of Missouri Highway 13. The preliminary investigation indicates that as the suspect vehicle came to a stop the driver exited the vehicle and fired his weapon toward the officer, striking the officer. The officer returned fire before the suspect subsequently fled the scene in his vehicle.

Officer Gary Michael, 37, was transported to Golden Valley Hospital in Clinton, Missouri, where he succumbed to his injuries. The suspect vehicle was later recovered approximately two blocks south of the initial shooting.

The suspect is still at large, and has been identified as Ian McCarthy, 39, a white male from Clinton, Missouri. The public is advised against making contact with McCarthy, who is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of McCarthy should contact law enforcement or call 911 or dial *55 on a cellular phone.

Members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control, the Clinton Police Department, and the Henry County Sheriff’s Office continue to investigate. Officers from all three departments are currently searching for McCarthy.

Press release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol

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