The Associated Press
HANNIBAL, MO. — A man from Illinois was fatally shot by authorities after escaping from a hospital in Iowa and striking three police cars in a chase in northeastern Missouri. The man was identified Sunday as Peter Jamerson, 27, of Homewood, Ill.
Police said Jamerson, who was being guarded by a sheriff’s deputy at a hospital, allegedly stole a truck from the University of Iowa parking department Saturday afternoon.
Hours later, on Saturday evening, the truck rammed a Palmyra police vehicle in Missouri, said Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Brent Bernhardt.
After hitting the Palmyra officer, the pickup crossed a median, striking a Marion County Sheriff’s Department vehicle head-on. It then struck the side of a Missouri Highway Patrol vehicle, which was hit from behind by a tractor-trailer. The officer was treated for minor injuries, Bernhardt said.
Police said Jamerson then tried to carjack a vehicle, failed, and stole another car from a nearby home, leading police on a brief second chase.
After police used tire-deflating devices, Jamerson finally crashed just north of Hannibal. He was shot in the torso as officers tried to arrest him.
“He made movements that made officers fear for their safety,” Bernhardt said.
Jamerson died from his injuries at an area hospital, Bernhardt said.