Driver charged with murder after gunfight kills 2

EL DORADO SPRINGS, Mo. (AP) - A southwest Missouri man accused of fleeing an attempted traffic stop has been charged with second-degree murder after a passenger in his car jumped out and got into a gunfight that left the passenger and a deputy sheriff dead.

Joshua Brown, 28, of El Dorado Springs, is accused of causing the death of Cedar County Sheriff's Deputy Matthew Chism while committing another felony. He was being held on $100,000 cash-only bond and does not yet have an attorney, according to online court records.

Chism, 25, tried to pull over the car Brown was driving because the headlights were not on at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday in El Dorado Springs. The driver sped off through town before his passenger, 28-year-old William Collins, of El Dorado Springs, jumped out and ran away, prosecutors said.

Chism chased Collins on foot and they fought before exchanging gunfire. Chism died at a hospital, while Collins died at the scene.

Brown was arrested at his home at 3:15 a.m. Sunday, and a probable cause statement says the car Chism tried to stop was parked outside. The document says Brown admitted to driving the car; knew there was a semi-automatic pistol was in the vehicle, and had thrown a small container of syringes out of the vehicle during the chase.

Officers found the syringes and say one had a liquid that tested positive for methamphetamine.

Chism had a wife and a small child and had been with the Cedar County Sheriff's Office since January 2013. His funeral is scheduled for Thursday at Stockton High School.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has been asked to lead the investigation.

Brown has eight previous criminal convictions, including two for possessing controlled substances. Collins also had a lengthy criminal history.