Nonprofit identifies Callaway County deputies shot during traffic stop on I-70
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A nonprofit foundation has set up donation funds for the two Callaway County deputies shot while conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 70 on Monday morning.
In a post on Facebook, the Chief Mason Griffith Foundation said the nonprofit is supporting Cpl. Justin Bax and Deputy Gardner Pottorff after they were shot during a traffic stop on Monday.
The foundation said in the post that Pottorff was the deputy who conducted the traffic stop when he was shot four times in the stomach by the suspect.
The Callaway County Sheriff's Office said Monday afternoon that one deputy was out of surgery while the second was scheduled.
"Deputy Pottorff then began performing life-saving measures for another critically injured deputy," the Chief Mason Griffith Foundation said on Facebook.
Pottorff's estimated recovery time is 6 to 8 months, according to the foundation. The Sheriff's Office said in a release on Tuesday it is estimated to be six months before returning to full health for both Pottorff and Bax.
The Sheriff's Office requested that the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control investigate the shooting.
According to a Facebook post from earlier this year, Bax was promoted to corporal on March 26 and has been with the department since April 2020.
ABC 17 News reported in December that Pottorff was hired by Callaway County as a road deputy. He worked for the Columbia Police Department before going to the sheriff's office.
Troopers identified the shooter as Jonathan Beason, 37, of Medina, Texas.
A fund is set up for both Pottorff and Bax.
The Callaway County Sheriff's Office warned in the press release about fake fundraising efforts and stated the Chief Mason Griffith Foundation is the only official donation site.
