JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police have identified a man shot and killed by Jefferson City officers near a shopping mall in the city and gave more details about what led to the shooting.
The shooting occurred just before 2 p.m. Monday near Capital Mall following a traffic stop of a sport utility vehicle on suspicion of having an expired registration, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.
The patrol said the driver, later identified as Clay Willingham, 32, of Moberly, brandished a rifle when officers approached the passenger side of the SUV. Officers then fired their guns, hitting Willingham, who died at the scene, investigators said.
Neither the patrol, which is investigating the shooting, nor the Jefferson City Police Department have named the officers involved in the shooting.
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Authorities are investigating after a police officer fatally shot someone Monday near a Jefferson City shopping mall.
Missouri State Cpl. Kyle Green said the shooting happened around 1:45 p.m. between the Capital Mall and a Walgreens store located directly across the street.
He said he was headed to the scene and didn't immediately know the name, age, gender or race of the person who was killed or what led up to the shooting.
He also said he had no information on the Jefferson City police officer who fired the deadly shot. The patrol urged the public in a tweet to avoid the area near the mall.
Jefferson City police didn't immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press.