Missouri cop fatally shot during traffic stop; Suspect still at large

By Jennifer Cruz

Family members say Gary Michael had a heart to serve and loved his job. (Photo: Missouri State Highway Patrol)
A routine traffic stop in a rural Missouri town Sunday morning ended with the shooting death of a police officer and a multi-agency manhunt for his accused killer.
The shooting occurred around 10:45 a.m. in Clinton, which is located about 75 miles southeast of Kansas City.
According to a press release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Officer Gary Michael initiated a stop on a 2008 Dodge Nitro for a traffic violation, but once the vehicle was stopped, the driver got out and opened fire on the officer. Michael, who was struck, returned fire but it’s unknown if the suspect was hit before he fled in the vehicle.
Additional officers responded to Michael’s call of “shots fired, officer hit,” and, within minutes, Michael was airlifted to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The Dodge Nitro was recovered about two blocks from the scene of the shooting, but the suspect, who was later identified as 39-year-old Ian McCarthy, of Clinton, was nowhere to be found. Donald Richter, who lives nearby, witnessed part of the incident.
“I heard gunshots,” Richter told Fox 4. “I come outside on

Source: Guns.com