Details in connection to Monday’s officer-involved shooting have become available through a Wednesday court filing obtained by Phelps County Focus.
A search warrant affidavit identifies Jonathan R. Birdsong, 26, as owner of the 2008 Kia Spectra involved in the vehicle pursuit and subject of the officer-involved shooting.
Prior to the shooting, the Kia led law enforcement on a prolonged chase through Rolla which eventually led to South Bishop Avenue. The affidavit details the Kia stopped on Bishop Avenue south of Fort Wyman Road, but Birdsong allegedly didn’t comply with verbal commands. Two deputies with the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department then approached the vehicle’s rear. Birdsong allegedly put the vehicle into reverse and began backing toward the deputies. Two rounds from a department-issued M-4 rifle were fired through the driver’s side window and are believed to have struck Birdsong.
The affidavit states Birdsong then put the Kia into drive and passed a deputy’s patrol car when two more shots were fired. The Kia continued south a short distance before coming to rest in the 700 block of South Bishop Avenue. There, Birdsong was removed from the Kia, given emergency medical treatment and then transported to the hospital.