By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
More has been released by the Missouri State Highway Patrol on the November fatal shooting in Lawson that occurred when officers responded to a domestic disturbance call.
One officer, a Ray County Sheriff’s Deputy, suffered a gunshot wound responding to the home.
An investigation reveals 26-year-old Brett Yager of Lawson shot himself to death after allegedly shooting to death a child inside the home.
Lawson police officers along with deputies from the Ray County Sheriff’s Office responded to a domestic disturbance call Sunday evening, November 17th. Emergency calls reported a man was assaulting a woman inside the home, 213 Montgomery Street. When officers arrived, Yager fired several shots at them. One shot struck a Ray County deputy. Officers returned fire. Officers escorted a woman to safety, but a child remained in the house.
Several surrounding law enforcement agencies responded to the scene. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office’s Special Tactics and Response Team (STAR) entered the residence to find Yager and the child dead. Preliminary autopsy results report Yager died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and the child died of a gunshot wound. It has been determined the fatal shot did not come from law enforcement gunfire.
The Ray County deputy was treated and released at an area hospital.
The Lawson Police Chief requested the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control investigate the shooting.
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