Traffic on Interstate 44 near the Missouri-Oklahoma line ground to a halt Tuesday morning after an officer-involved shooting near the Miami welcome center left two people dead and shut down a busy stretch of the Will Rogers Turnpike. Westbound drivers were pushed onto long detours, and congestion quickly built up on approaches from both states as emergency crews and investigators took over the scene.
According to Newstalk KZRG, which cited a post from the Miami Police Department, officers were alerted around 9 a.m. to a vehicle reported stolen and heading west from Joplin. Miami officers found the vehicle near the welcome center at Exit 313, where they said a male occupant pulled a weapon, prompting an officer-involved shooting that left two people dead. Officials told Newstalk KZRG that Exit 313 eastbound and Joplin's Exit 12 were closed, and motorists entering Oklahoma were being directed to leave I-44 at Mile Marker 4 by the Petro truck stop and use Highway 10 into Miami instead. Authorities warned that the traffic snarl could last for hours.
Where it happened
The shooting unfolded on the Will Rogers Turnpike, the portion of I-44 that runs northeast from Tulsa to the Missouri state line near Miami. The turnpike connects northeast Oklahoma directly to Joplin and the Missouri border, so a shutdown at Exit 313 immediately affects cross-border travel, according to Wikipedia.
Investigation
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation are expected to lead the investigation, authorities said. The public information page for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation notes that the agency often conducts independent reviews of officer-involved shootings and then forwards its findings to local prosecutors.
What drivers should know
Officials urged drivers to steer clear of the affected stretch of I-44 while investigators document the scene and crews work to reopen the roadway. Travelers crossing the state line were told to expect delays and to consider alternate east-west routes, and to keep an eye on state and local traffic alerts for the latest detour information. Authorities had not yet released the names of the two people killed and asked anyone with information about the incident to contact the Miami Police Department.
