Burglary report leads to standoff in Bunceton

Thursday, Aug. 14, was an eventful afternoon in the Bunceton area for law enforcement.

According to a Cooper Sheriff's report, deputies were dispatched just before 1 p.m. to southeast Cooper County to a report of a burglary in progress. While deputies were responding to the burglary call, they received a report of a vehicle fire near Bunceton. Information obtained during an investigation, while on their way to the calls, were reported to have quickly pointed to a known person from the Bunceton area.

The burning vehicle was discovered to have been stolen from Boonville earlier in the day. The investigation led deputies to a residence in Bunceton, where an attempt was made to make contact with the burglary suspect. Deputies also had reason to believe the same 31-year-old Bunceton man was responsible for the vehicle fire.

When law enforcement officers attempted to contact the man at the residence, he "brandished a handgun and fired multiple times at one of the officers. Following what was described as "a brief exchange of gunfire," officers set up a perimeter and began negotiations in an attempt to get the man to surrender.

The negotiations continued off and on for several hours, but ultimately proved unsuccessful. According to the report, just before 6 p.m., the suspect came out of the residence, and shot himself once. He was transported by Life Flight to University Hospital in critical condition. He was later reported to have died.

According to Missouri Highway Patrol, the patrol's Drug and Crime Control continue to investigate.