A suspect was taken into custody Tuesday evening following a shooting on Highway 53, near Thomas Street and an approximately four-hour manhunt.
Kevin H. Wallace, 36, of Poplar Bluff was booked at Butler County jail shortly before 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and charges are pending, according to authorities.
Law enforcement was called around 1:45 p.m. to an apartment complex near Highway 53 and Thomas Street, said Butler County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Wes Popp.
One man was shot and flown out for medical treatment with what law enforcement at the scene described as non-life threatening injuries.
Additional information concerning the victim and cause of the incident were not available at press time.
Throughout the afternoon hours, Butler County deputies were assisted in their search by a K-9 unit, as well as the Missouri State Highway, Poplar Bluff police officers and the U.S. Forest Service law enforcement personnel.
Traffic was backed up along Highway 53 while area law enforcement agencies searched for Wallace, the highway was shut down at times.
A bystander told staff at the scene that they witnessed “a guy and young lady walking together when the guy started cussing and yelling at the victim. ... The guy pulled out the gun and started shooting (and) the woman went on walking.”
The bystander explained that the shooter missed several times when he was shooting before finally hitting the victim, adding, “The shooter put the gun in a bag he had and walked off into the woods.”
Deputies used metal detectors in the area of the shooting and also bailed out waterholes looking for cartridges.