SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Police fatally shot a man after he wounded a park ranger outside a Springfield book store, authorities say.
Springfield police Lt. Mark Foos said the park ranger was transported to a hospital, where he was listed in stable condition after Thursday's shooting. His injuries aren’t believed to be life-threatening, the Springfield News-Leader reports.
Foos said officers were dispatched to a restaurant in the area just after 9:30 p.m. after getting reports that a “highly intoxicated” man was causing a disturbance in the parking lot. As the man walked through the parking lot of the shopping center toward the nearby Barnes and Noble bookstore, officers were informed he was possibly armed.
Foos said the man then opened fire outside the store, wounding the park ranger who had responded to the call. That's when two Springfield police officers returned fire and fatally shot the man, Foos said. The man's name wasn't immediately released.
Foos said it’s not uncommon for park rangers to stop and assist Springfield police if they are in the area.
Foos said the Springfield officers were wearing body cameras, and detectives would be looking into whether any surveillance footage from nearby businesses would be helpful in the investigation.