Mo. Deputy Killed in Shootout ID'd; Suspect Had Long Criminal Record

Bird used to live in the Kansas City area and has a criminal record on the Kansas side from that time.

In September 2014, Bird was arrested and charged for allegedly firing shots at a Johnson County, Kansas, sheriff’s deputy investigating a theft at a construction site at 191st Street and State Line Road. At the time, Bird lived in Belton.

According to an article in The Star after his arrest, Bird fired “multiple shots from a rifle at the deputy, who was not hit.”

He was then charged with attempted first-degree murder and theft and his bond initially was set at $1 million.

In the end, Bird pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced in 2016 on five counts stemming from that September 2014 incident.

‘Danger to the community’

Bird has a lengthy criminal history in both states. He was last released from the Kansas Department of Corrections in April 2023, online records from that agency said.

Less than a year later, he was charged in Taney County, Missouri, with second-degree burglary and first-degree trespassing. He was accused of “forcibly entering an inhabitable structure” in March 2024 and “was found with gloves, a flashlight, and a knife,” court records show.

At that time, a probable cause statement describing the charges against him said he was a “danger to the community or to any other person.”

“Richard has been convicted of Burglary and Receiving Stolen Property (03/19/2003), Tampering (02/10/20114), Stealing MV (08/09/2021), Tampering (10/06/2022), and Theft out of Kansas (05/31/2016),” the affidavit said. “There are reasonable grounds to believe that the defendant will not appear upon a summons because: Richard has had numerous charges for fleeing/resisting as well as a probation violation.”

Later in 2024, Bird was sentenced to a fine of $200 and court costs on each of the two new counts.

When speaking with reporters in southwest Missouri Tuesday morning, Sheriff Cole praised his two fallen officers for protecting the residents of Christian County.

“We do what we have to do to make sure that our citizens are safe,” Cole told reporters, according to the Springfield Daily Citizen. “And that’s what we did today. We took a bad guy off the street and sent him where he needed to be.”

Messages from law enforcement

The Billings Police Department posted a message on Facebook after the first deputy was shot and killed. Billings is located in Christian County.

“God called one home today,” the post said. “Let us focus our thoughts and prayers on the needs of his family and loved ones. There’s no words for this senseless act to make any sense, so I won’t even try.”

The department’s message also asked people to “pray for the Christian County Sheriffs Office, the Christian County 911 dispatchers who were on the other end of those radio calls along with answering the 911 calls from the public’s reports.”

“Pray for all of the first responders who responded as their lives are forever changed. And continue to pray for the safety of the law enforcement community who are attempting to take the suspect into custody, and that no further law enforcement or innocent bystanders will be in harms way.

“May God Bless the Thin Blue Line brothers and sisters.”

The manhunt for Bird ended in Stone County, south of Christian. Dozens of officers and deputies from across southwest Missouri had joined in the search for Bird.

The Aurora Police Department, in nearby Lawrence County, also posted about the deadly shooting.

“We wish we had the perfect words,” the message said. “We just don’t.

“God bless the Christian County Sheriff’s Office, the Deputies that lost their lives, the ones recovering in the hospital, the families who have to navigate this unimaginable disaster, and the brothers and sisters in law enforcement who have just had to live through the worst 14 hours of their careers.

“Blessed are the peacemakers.”

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