BAXTER SPRINGS, Kan. (KSNF) — Three people are dead following a shooting in Baxter Springs. It happened Saturday.
According to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, it all started just after 7 p.m. when a 911 call was made from a woman who told dispatchers that she needed help.
Baxter Springs Police officers responded to the home at 340 Wyandotte Ave.
When officers arrived, the woman exited the home and a male suspect, identified as 37-year-old Eli Crawford, shot and killed 27-year-old Taylor Dawn Shutte.
The suspect then retreated back inside with their 2-year-old child, Cessie Crawford.
At that point, law enforcement personnel with the Baxter Springs Police Department and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office began taking on gunfire from the suspect.
As the suspect continued to shoot at law enforcement, additional assistance from the Kansas Highway Patrol, Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Joplin SWAT Team was requested.
During the nearly four-hour assault on law enforcement, an officer was able to return fire towards the suspect.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office says when officers approached the home, Crawford and the 2-year-old child were found dead inside.
Per standard agency protocol, the law enforcement officer who engaged the suspect has been placed on paid administrative leave.
No officers were injured during the shootout.
The investigation is ongoing and is being led by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
