Reportedly the officers who responded to a 9-1-1 call were dispatched to an incorrect residence where a Clinton Police officer was shot to death on Tuesday, March 6.
A news release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol says at approximately 9:22 p.m. on Tuesday, Clinton Police officers were dispatched to 306 West Grandriver Street. Henry County 9-1-1 operators reportedly could hear two women arguing, and advised the officers of the line being open.
Upon the officers’ arrival, they contacted Tammy Widger, of Clinton, who reportedly advised officers there was not a problem, and there wasn’t anybody else in the residence. After confirming with dispatch the address of the residence, officers entered the house, where they encountered the suspect, who reportedly began firing at the officers and subsequently killed officer Ryan Morton and wounded two other officers.
Members of the Bates County Tactical Team and the Troop A SWAT Team entered the residence to remove officer Morton. At 12:10 a.m., on Wednesday, March 7, members of the Troop A SWAT Team and the Bates County Tactical team entered the residence to apprehend the suspect, whom they reportedly located in the bathroom, deceased from a gunshot wound.
Further investigation revealed the phone number from the original 9-1-1 call came from an address in Windsor, and not the residence of the officer-involved shooting. The deceased suspect has been identified as 37-year-old James E. Waters, of Clinton.
Autopsies on Morton and Waters are pending.
According to a post on the MSHP Troop A Twitter feed at 4:39 p.m. on Wednesday, March 7, officer Nathan Bettencourt is recovering from gunshot wounds and surgery at a Kansas City area hospital in stable condition. Officer Nicholas Kasper also was treated for gunshot wounds and released from Golden Valley Hospital earlier in the day.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol, Clinton Police Department and Henry County Sheriff’s Department are continuing the investigation.