2 deputies wounded, driver killed in Missouri traffic stop shooting

Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Two deputies were wounded and a suspect was fatally shot during a shooting that erupted early Monday during a traffic stop in Missouri's Callaway County.

The deceased suspect has been identified as 37-year-old Jonathan Beason of Medina, Texas.

The Callaway County Sheriff's Office said both of its wounded deputies, who were not identified, required surgery following the shooting and "will need extensive time to recover."

"Please keep their families in your thoughts and prayers," the sheriff's office said in a statement .

According to a preliminary investigation, a Callaway County deputy initiated a traffic stop on Interstate 70, with a second deputy joining not long after, the sheriff's office said.

During the traffic stop, Callaway County Joint Communications informed the deputies that the driver was wanted on multiple felony warrants from out of state.

The driver then resisted arrest and deputies reported shots fired. All three were wounded in the exchange. However, the driver was pronounced dead at the scene where a firearm was recovered.

Both wounded deputies were transported to the hospital. Shortly before 2 p.m. local time, the Callaway County Sheriff's Office said one of the officers was out of surgery while the other was waiting for their surgery to begin. One was listed as stable and the other as critical.