JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — An autopsy has determined that an Arkansas man found dead after an exchange of gunfire with a southwest Missouri sheriff’s deputy died of a self-inflicted wound.
The Joplin Globe reports Jasper County Sheriff Randee Kaiser said in a news release Tuesday that 28-year-old Kenneth Ashburn of Bella Vista, Arkansas, is believed to have taken his own life on Thursday after the shooting at a property east of Joplin.
Deputy Justin Henry with a shot in the leg during the confrontation.
Officers were investigating a call about a stolen vehicle on the property when they exchanged gunfire with Ashburn, who was wanted on a warrant from Arkansas. Ashburn was later found dead on the property.