Deputy Sheriff Michael Hislope

Michael Hislope

Deputy Sheriff Michael Hislope was shot and killed while attempting to apprehend the suspect who had killed Deputy Sheriff Gabriel Ramirez.

Around 4:00 p.m., a man shot and killed Deputy Ramirez during a traffic stop before fleeing. Responding officers found the suspect's truck abandoned near Reeds Spring on State Highway 160. Using the suspect's heat signature, the Missouri State Highway Patrol tracked the suspect in the woods. When they approached the suspect, he fired at officers, striking and wounding two deputies, one with the Christian County Sheriff's Office and the other with the Webster County Sheriff's Office. When Deputy Hislope went to their aid, he was shot and killed by the suspect.

The suspect, a convicted felon who had posted bail for an additional crime on February 20, 2026, was killed in return gunfire.

Deputy Hislope was a United States Army veteran and had served with the Christian County Sheriff's Office for over six years. Survivors include his wife, daughter, son, mother, father, two brothers, and three sisters.