Late afternoon on February 23, 2026, Deputy Sheriff Gabriel Ramirez, 30, was killed after initiating a traffic stop on State Highway 160 at Route HH near Highlandville, Missouri. Ramirez, a United States Army veteran who had been with the Christian County Sheriff’s Office for nearly a year, stopped a truck whose driver had reportedly sped past a stopped school bus. The truck’s driver, later identified as 45-year-old Richard Dean Bird, opened fire; fellow officers responding to a deputy down call found Ramirez deceased at the scene.

Bird’s shooting triggered a multi-agency manhunt. Officers located the truck abandoned near Reeds Spring and pursued searches into nearby woods. In the early hours of February 24, officers detected a heat signature and were fired upon by Bird. Christian County Deputy Michael Hislope was fatally shot while attempting to rescue wounded deputies; two other officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries. In the exchange of gunfire, Bird was shot and killed. Records indicate Bird was a convicted felon with a lengthy criminal history, including a prior incident of firing at an officer.

If anyone witnessed the traffic stop, the shots that followed, or Bird’s truck near Reeds Spring, please share what was seen or heard.