BAXTER SPRINGS — A Baxter Springs woman and a 2-year-old child were shot and killed over the weekend, resulting in a three-hour shootout between local law enforcement and the suspect, who also was shot and killed.
Taylor Dawn Shutte, 27, and Clesslyn Crawford, 2, were pronounced dead at the scene, according to officials. The suspected shooter was identified as Eli Crawford, 37, according to the Joplin Globe.
The suspect was shot and killed by a police officer who returned fire during the shootout, the newspaper reported.
The Baxter Springs Police Department was dispatched around 7:14 p.m. Saturday to the 300 block of Wyandotte Avenue after receiving a call from a woman who said she needed help, according to a news release from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
Shutte exited the home once law enforcement arrived, but Crawford shot and killed her, the sheriff’s office said. Crawford then took their 2-year-old child inside the house and began firing at officers, the sheriff’s office said. Officials said the exchange of gunfire lasted for nearly three and a half hours.
The child and Crawford were both dead when officers approached the residence following the shootout, the sheriff’s office said. Per standard agency protocol, the law enforcement officer who returned fire with the suspect has been placed on administrative leave. The investigation is ongoing and being led by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
The Baxter Springs Police Department and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office were the first to respond to the incident. Assistance was provided by the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Joplin SWAT team.
