SIKESTON, Mo. — A Sikeston police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty during a SWAT operation in Mississippi County, Missouri, KSDK reported.
Officer Henry Franklin, 41, a member of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety’s Tactical Team, was fatally struck by gunfire shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 6. The SWAT team attempted to serve an arrest warrant at a residence when the suspect, wanted in connection with a homicide earlier that day, barricaded himself inside and opened fire.
The team had initially tried to reach the suspect using phone calls and a loudspeaker, but he began shooting from inside the home before shooting Franklin and continuing to fire at officers. The suspect was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Negotiations and the standoff lasted for several hours. Around 12:30 a.m., a second SWAT team from Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop C entered the home and found the suspect dead inside.
“Our department has suffered an unimaginable loss,” said Sikeston Department of Public Safety Director James McMillen. “We ask that you keep Franklin’s family and our department in your prayers.”
Franklin joined the Sikeston department in June 2013. He served as a K-9 handler for K-9 Odin and was also a veteran of the Army National Guard, according to the report.
Sikeston Mayor Greg Turnbow ordered flags to fly at half-staff through the end of the day of Franklin’s funeral.
Franklin was born and raised in Charleston, Missouri. He is survived by his wife and their four children, along with his mother and sister.
The department says details on memorial services and support for the Franklin family will be released in the coming days.
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