LONGWOOD TOWNSHIP, Mo. — The Pettis County community is in shock following a shooting early Friday morning that wounded two Pettis County sheriff's deputies.
Residents are questioning how such an event could occur in their quiet neighborhood.
Darin Martin, a local resident who lives near the shooting scene, expressed his disbelief.
“It’s just crazy that it happened so close to home," Martin said. "It’s wild. It’s crazy stuff."
He heard the news first thing Friday morning.
“I wanted to tell everybody in the house," Martin said. "I’m like, ‘Whoa, this is wild."' "There was just a shooting at the bar in Marshall not too long ago,” he added.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported the shooting happened around 5:45 a.m. as two Pettis County deputies were serving a search warrant related to a narcotics investigation.
The deputies were at a home in the 27000 block of State Highway BB when the suspect, a 62-year-old man, shot at the deputies.
“Deputies made entry into the residence at approximately 5:45 a.m., at which time shots were fired at deputies," said Corporal Justin Howard, public information officer for the Missouri Highway Patrol. "Two deputies were struck, and one returned gunfire at the suspect. The suspect was not injured”
Residents of the area are alarmed by the rise in violent incidents. Martin noted that such occurrences are uncommon in their rural community, saying this is out of the norm.
“The last year or two, it seems like it's been getting really bad," said Martin. "In these small communities, I don’t know why, it just seems like it’s getting worse and worse.”
The suspect was arrested, and both injured deputies were transported to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. One officer has since been released.
The investigation is ongoing.
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