Two dead after crash, shots fired follows police pursuit in south St. Louis County

UPDATE: The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that Ryan D. Phillips, 33, of St. Louis, and Delisha D. Evans, 30, of Princeton, Texas, died after the crash.

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Two people are dead following a police pursuit involving the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The pursuit ended near South Rock Hill and Pardee Roads in south St. Louis County on Friday afternoon.

Investigators say there was a rollover crash and shots fired following the pursuit.

Cpl. Logan Bolton, Missouri State Highway Patrol, said a 33-year-old man inside the vehicle was wanted by the Texas Department of Public Safety. They had concerns over the safety of 30-year-old woman he was with, according to Bolton.

“Both subjects in the vehicle were deceased and their exact cause of death is still being actively investigated,” said Bolton.

The vehicle they were traveling in overturned after police say they spotted the vehicle on eastbound I-44 near Highway 141.  A pursuit began near I-44 and Big Bend with the suspect exiting on Elm until he crashed, according to Bolton.

“It sounded like possible crash, possible gunfire mixed and then at the very end five rapid-fire shots,” said Denise Routte, a nearby resident who heard the crash.

Bolton said a firearm was recovered next to the suspect’s vehicle but added it’s too soon to know if the suspect fired any shots. Bolton said some shots were fired from a trooper, though it’s unclear if they struck either of the two who died.

Bolton said the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control is investigating. Additional details are limited at this time.

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