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A murder suspect who shot and critically wounded a Shawnee police officer late Monday night was killed by Shawnee police Tuesday morning after a massive search.
Patrolman Jeff Rodgers was shot twice Monday shortly before 10 p.m. during what was believed to have been a routine traffic stop, Police Chief Hank Land said. He was shot in the neck, just above his bullet-proof vest, and in the elbow.
Rodgers remained in intensive care at University Hospital Tuesday where he was listed as in critical but stable condition following surgery Tuesday morning. A hospital spokesperson said he had a spinal cord injury.
The gunman who fled the scene in the 400 block of East Seventh and abandoned the vehicle south of Farrall Street near the railroad tracks was shot and killed Tuesday morning less than a mile from where the vehicle was found.
Authorities believe the chain of events began Monday night when John M. Lockhart, 59, was stabbed to death in his home at 47407 SH 3, about 5 miles east of Shawnee, Pottawatomie County Sheriff's spokesman Dude Howard said.
Sheriff's deputies had been dispatched to Lockhart's residence shortly after the shooting. A license tag check revealed that the vehicle driven by the gunman was registered to a person at the Lockhart address. Land said the suspect may have stolen the vehicle from the residence before he shot Rodgers downtown.
Lockhart's body was found inside the residence, which apparently had been set afire.
Shawnee police and numerous other law enforcement agencies quickly set up a perimeter in the southeast sector of the city near the railroad tracks beginning on East Farrall.
Land said late Monday night that an Oklahoma City Police helicopter hovering over the area south of Farrall picked up an image on infrared radar but lost the image when the spotlight was turned on.
At first light Tuesday, SWAT teams from Shawnee, Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol scoured the wooded area near where the car was found while an OHP aircraft searched from the skies, Land said.
Just before 9 a.m. the suspect fired one shot at Shawnee S.W.A.T. team members. The officers returned fire, killing the suspect, Land said.
The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, about one-fourth of a mile from where the car was found, Land said. The suspect was not identified by press time.
Land said every Shawnee police department employee, including all officers and reserve officers, were called in to help in the search.
Also assisting in the search for the suspect were area tribal police officers, Seminole County Sheriff's Department, Tecumseh Police, Holdenville Police, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma County Sheriff's Department, Oklahoma City Police, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the Pottawatomie County District Attorney's Office.
Authorities continue to investigate to determine the gunman's identity and what prompted the night's chain of events.
Rodgers began his career with the Shawnee Police Department Sept. 17, 1990, and has two children.
"We want to let everyone know that his family appreciates the thoughts and prayers," Land said.
A fund has been established to help the Rodgers family cover mounting medical bills. Anyone who wishes to donate should contact any BancFirst branch and request to contribute to the Officer Jeff Rodgers Fund.
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Officer Jeff Rodgers recieved a heros welcome home on Wed. July 28th. 1999 after being shot by a murder suspect on 5-10-99.
Rodgers was escorted into town by fellow law enforcement officers from several different departments, many of which were involved in the masive manhunt for the suspect that shot him.
About 15 police cars with lights flashing and sirens whaling escorted Rodgers through town after being released from a Dallas hospital.
"We're glad your home Jeff"