Suspect dies after officer-involved shooting in Cass County
UPDATE 10:40 pm: The suspect has been identified as Preston Ray Holloway.
Officers said an autopsy has been scheduled for Friday and the investigation is ongoing.
ORIGINAL STORY: A 27-year-old Texas man died Thursday morning following a chase and officer-involved shooting in Cass County.
The chase started around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night. The Belton Police Department was pursuing a vehicle on Interstate 49. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, troopers deployed a tire deflation device near the 170 mile marker, successfully stopping the suspect’s vehicle.
Authorities said the driver then got out of the vehicle pointing a gun at his own head before walking down the interstate and pointing the gun at vehicles. At one point, the suspect fired the gun at a passing driver. Highway patrol said the man then forced a driver out of a vehicle and drove northbound on I-49 into Raymore.
Troopers, a Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy and Raymore Police Officers pursued the suspect into Raymore. Troop A said the suspect eventually stopped and got out of the vehicle in a subdivision. The suspect began walking away from law enforcement officers while pointing the gun at his own head and at officers.
Just before midnight, troopers advised shots had been fired. The suspect was taken to a Kansas City hospital with serious injuries. According to Troop A, he was pronounced dead at 6:14 a.m. Thursday. Authorities said the suspect had two active felony warrants for his arrest from Jackson County.
The officer-involved shooting is being investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control. The Cass County Sheriff’s Department, Belton Police Department and the Raymore Police Department are assisting with the investigation.
