Man shot in altercation with off-duty police officer

MOKANE - A Mokane-area man was shot by an off-duty Fulton police officer during an altercation Thursday night, according to a statement issued by Lt. Clay Chism of the Callaway County Sheriff's Office.

The person who was shot was taken to University Hospital in Columbia by Callaway County EMS with non-life threatening injuries, Chism said.

As with any officer-involved shooting, the complete investigation will be referred to the Callaway County prosecuting attorney for review, according to the statement. Names of the officer and the 29-year-old Mokane man were not released.

According to the statement, deputies responded to a report of a shooting about 10 p.m. Thursday in the 9000 block of County Road 445 near Mokane.

Upon arrival, deputies determined the Mokane man had been operating an ATV on a county road in a reckless manner, nearly colliding with a vehicle driven by the off-duty Fulton police officer, Chism stated.

After almost colliding, the ATV driver stopped and confronted the off-duty officer, and an altercation began, during which the off-duty officer discharged a firearm. The ATV driver was shot, according to the statement.

Chism said the identities of the ATV driver and the Fulton police officer will not be released until formal charges are filed. He added charges against the ATV driver are expected to be a felony charge of driving while intoxicated, assault on a law-enforcement officer and traffic offenses.

"Standard with any officer-involved shooting, the sheriff's office will not make the final determination as to the justification of the officer's actions," Chism said. "Instead, all reports will be referred to the prosecuting attorney for his independent review of the incident and determination of whether the officer's actions were justified."

It's standard practice to put officers involved in these types of situations on administrative leave, according to Fulton Police Major Roger Rice.

The investigation is ongoing, Chism said.