Florida man wanted on weapons charge shoots Highway Patrol officer near Mansfield

(From Highway Patrol Troop D)

At 9:30 a.m. on July 18, 2018, a trooper responded to Clouse Road north of Mansfield, MO, in Wright County, after a report of a suspicious vehicle. 

Upon arrival, the trooper located a single person in a vehicle, who provided a fictitious name. A registration check revealed the license plates were registered to a different vehicle. When the man was asked to exit the vehicle, he became agitated and refused to comply. A second trooper and a Mansfield city police officer arrived on the scene to assist. At that time, the man in the vehicle produced a handgun and began firing at the officers. The officers returned fire and the suspect was hit several times.

The injured trooper is identified as Robert D. Crewse, a 15-year veteran assigned to Troop G, Willow Springs. He was struck twice by gunfire and sustained nonlife-threatening injuries. The trooper was treated and released from a Springfield hospital. 

The suspect sustained several gunshot wounds and is listed in critical condition at a Springfield area hospital. Investigators with the Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control have identified the suspect as Colby M. Rey, 32, of Orlando, Florida. Formal charges are pending from the shooting incident. In addition, Rey is wanted by the Mississippi Department of Corrections for a parole violation on a weapons offense. 

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control continues the investigation. The Wright County Sheriff’s Department also responded to the scene.