Special prosecutor: Fatal shot after Callaway County chase was self-inflicted
An investigation has determined Callaway County deputies and other law enforcement officers did not fire the bullet that killed a man after a car chase in August.
Special prosecutor Stephen Sokoloff said in a news release that the investigation showed the bullet that hit Christopher Morris in the head, killing him, was a .40-caliber bullet, matching the caliber of Morris’ gun. The officers and deputies were carrying 9 mm pistols, Sokoloff wrote.
The Aug. 8 chase started in Jefferson City when officers tried to stop a vehicle Morris was driving, Sokoloff wrote. Morris drove away, beginning a chase that ended on Highway 54 near New Bloomfield after law enforcement officers used spike strips, according to the release.
Morris got out of his disabled vehicle and fired at deputies and officers, who returned fire, hitting Morris in the leg before he took off running into a wooded area, Sokoloff wrote. Officers saw Morris kneel and shoot himself in the head after pacing back and forth when he emerged from the woods, Sokoloff wrote.
Video from body cameras was not available because the officers chasing Morris were wearing bullet-proof vests over their cameras, according to the release. However, Sokoloff wrote that the cameras captured audio, which was consistent with what deputies told investigators.
Testing showed blood on the muzzle of Morris’ pistol, which was reported stolen out of Jefferson City, Sokoloff wrote.
No charges will be filed in connection with Morris’ death, according to the release.
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