A Clinton, Missouri, police officer who was gunned down Tuesday night was done so responding to the wrong address, police said.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Bill Lowe made the distinction in a news conference late Wednesday, saying police officers, including Ryan Morton, were given the wrong address by dispatchers. Upon arrival, Morton and two other officers came under fire from a suspect, entered the home and were struck by gunfire. Morton was killed.
Morton, 30, had returned to the Clinton Police Department after another officer there died in the line of duty last year, authorities said Wednesday.
Two other police officers were injured but survived the Tuesday night shooting in Clinton, about 75 miles southeast of Kansas City.
The officers were shot at about 9:30 p.m. when they entered a home after receiving a 911 call in which two women were screaming in the background, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Lowe said late Wednesday that call was actually made from a home in Windsor, Mo., about 20 miles from Clinton.
It was not clear whether the wrong address was a human or computer error, Lowe said.
By 12:30 a.m., authorities said, officers had entered the residence and found the suspect — 37-year-old James Waters — dead.
Officials were still investigating whether the suspect was shot by police or killed himself, Lowe said. No one else was injured.
“We’re still piecing everything together,” Lowe said in the hours immediately following the shooting. “We’re way early in the investigation.”
Scanner traffic revealed a chaotic scene inside the home where Morton was killed.
A dispatcher is heard asking, “Morton, you good?” to which he replies, “No, I’m hit multiple times, one — least arm, both legs, vest.”
“Morton, can you make it out a window?” the dispatcher asks.
“I don’t think so,” he responds. “I don’t know if I can move my feet.”
A minute and a half later, dispatchers are heard repeatedly asking Morton to “talk to us” and “stay with us.” He never responds.
Clinton, MO, Police Officer Christopher Ryan Morton, served with distinction for the citizens of Clinton as a full-time Police Officer from 2/12/2015 until 1/10/2017. He stayed with the department as reserve officer until he returned again to full time duty 9/24/2017. #ClintonPD pic.twitter.com/3XCzgL5kUK
— MSHP Troop A (@MSHPTrooperA) March 7, 2018
Morton’s death was seven months to the day after a fellow Clinton police officer, Gary Michael, was shot dead, ABC Kansas City affiliate KMBC-TV reported.
Michael was killed after pulling over a driver for a traffic violation in August, KMBC reported.
Morton had worked for the Clinton Police Department before Michael’s death and returned to the department after he had died, Lowe said.
“It’s hard to put into words what you go through when you have an officer killed in the line of duty, and then to have it happen to a department after a short period of time; that’s hard to wrap your head around,” Lowe said. “I do know the Clinton Police Department is a well-respected police department — not only in this area but around this area — and they’re going to forge on. They’ll need help along the way. We’re all saddened by this tragic event.”
Ian McCarthy has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of Michael. He has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors will seek the death penalty in Michael’s shooting, the Associated Press reported.
Okay…once again, the “experts” who shouldn’t be questioned arrive at the home of an innocent man and start shooting the place up.
And once again, they’re sent to a home based on a call from somewhere else. Everyone in America understand how “caller I.D.” works except for police dispatchers, because this isn’t the first time someone was killed due to their stupidity and incompetence.
You better have your gun in your hand when these morons come to your house, because there’s no telling what the stupid bastards might do.
The only good news here is that one of the morons was killed, and that’s always something to cheer about. With every dead cop, our society moves that much closer to sanity.
yep, but just keep on pushing it , right?
slow fkin learners
you entered this mans home illegally and you got smoked
plus you murdered him
sick Fks
Perhaps this is just a cover story, that being a response to a wrong address, of the American people shooting these criminals on the spot when they arrive.
Eventually, if this is not the case, this will be the scenario more and more.
“… police officers, including Ryan Morton, were given the wrong address by dispatchers.”
And the result?
“Morton was killed.”
Then at least HE went to the right address.
“It’s hard to put into words what you go through when you have an officer killed in the line of duty,…”
Hardly.
I can do it with only ONE word… OUTSTANDING!!!!!
I saw that on the news 16 hours ago before leaving to work. But this part of the story will be squashed by media. Imagine hours after
sun down there’s pounding on your door and you’re innocent…,WTF supposed to do? ( Get gun for protection right ) Later lawsuit? James Waters name will soon be added to the website Killedbypolice.net Look for it under the date and the abbreviated state. MO for Missouri.