CHRISTIAN COUNTY, Mo. — The suspect who killed two Christian County deputies was released on bond for felony charges days before the shootings, the Springfield Daily Citizen reported.
The incident began around 3:50 p.m. on Feb. 23 when a man, identified as 45-year-old Richard Dean Bird, shot and killed Deputy Gabriel Ramirez during a traffic stop, Christian County Sheriff Brad Cole said.
Bird fled the scene, prompting a massive multi-agency manhunt across southwest Missouri. Hours later, as officers closed in on him in rural Stone County, Bird opened fire again, killing Deputy Michael Hislope and wounding two more deputies — a third Christian County deputy and a Webster County deputy.
Bird was killed in a shootout with law enforcement.
Bird had a lengthy criminal history, including a history of shooting at law enforcement officers, according to the report.
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In 2014, Bird was charged with attempted first-degree murder for shooting at deputies responding to a theft at a construction site. He entered a plea deal, loweing the charges to aggravated battery — intentional, great bodily harm along with fleeing, interfering and firearm possession charges.
Five days before the fatal shootings, Bird was facing charges in Stone County of second-degree burglary and stealing and tampering with physical evidence, according to the report. A judge released him on a $50,000 bond.
Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader, responding to social media backlash, stated that the judge was following the law in releasing Bird on bond. He said that $50,000 was a relatively high bond for property crimes, citing a typical range of $5,000-$10,000 for similar instances.
Bail rules require that judges set bail “only if necessary and not higher than required” to ensure public safety and court appearances, according to the report.
“You can blame the MO Supreme Court or you can blame the bonding company that bonded them,” Rader stated. “At the end of the day it comes down to a deranged man that took two heroes’ lives.”
