Fatal Shooting by Missouri Trooper Followed Vehicle Stop

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal shooting involving one of its troopers.

The shooting followed a traffic stop Friday night near Fruitland in southeast Missouri. The patrol says 48-year-old Jeffrey Darrell Hobbs of Jackson was swerving on Missouri Route 177 when the trooper pulled him over. The patrol says Hobbs was acting suspiciously so the trooper began to handcuff him, but Hobbs attacked the trooper.

Hobbs allegedly tried to drive away, dragging the trooper. Patrol Sgt. Clark Parrott says the trooper warned him to stop and when he didn't he fired two shots, one of which struck and killed Hobbs.

The trooper was treated at hospital for cuts and abrasions. He is a 15-year patrol veteran, and is on administrative leave pending the investigation.