Juvenile shot police chief in chest, Benton County sheriff says

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating a case in which an officer was shot in west-central Missouri.

"We are currently on the scene of an officer involved shooting in Warsaw, MO, involving Warsaw Police Dept. At the request of Warsaw PD @MSHPTrooperDDCC will be conducting the investigation. We will advise further updates," the patrol posted on Twitter on Friday morning.

Warsaw is about 90 miles north of Springfield.

The officer was identified later in the day as Warsaw Police Chief Jason Wenberg.

In a Facebook post, the Benton County Sheriff's Department said Wenberg was shot in the chest at the intersection of Washington and Seminary.

"The juvenile suspect was also shot, sustaining serious injuries, and was life flighted to Columbia Regional Hospital where he is currently sedated and stable," the post said. "The Chief's body armor thankfully stopped the bullet. He was treated at Golden Valley Hospital and already released."

The post also said the juvenile, while driving a stolen vehicle, led law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit Thursday night.

"This same juvenile fired on law enforcement last night, striking one of our vehicles, but no one was injured," the post says. "The suspect then drove at a high rate of speed traveling south in the northbound lane, abandoning his vehicle at the off-ramp of the Dam Access Road, fleeing into the woods."

The post says a K-9 team from the Henry County Sheriff's Office tracked the suspect for several hours, losing him in an area where he "often frequented."

The Benton County Sheriff's Office directed a News-Leader reporter to a Highway Patrol spokesperson, who has not yet returned a call for information.

"We are thankful for the community's overwhelming response and support," the sheriff's department posted. "Our prayers go out to all involved."

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