Two dead after officer-involved shooting shuts down I-44 in northeast Oklahoma

Two people are dead after a stolen vehicle pursuit ended in an officer-involved shooting Tuesday morning near the Miami, Oklahoma, Welcome Center, on I-44

Miami Police Chief Stephen Sigmon said the incident began around 9 a.m. when the Quapaw Nation Marshal Service was pursuing a vehicle reported stolen out of Joplin, Missouri.

During the pursuit, the driver fired multiple rounds from the vehicle as it traveled westbound on the Will Rogers Turnpike. Authorities were initially unsure whether the suspect was firing directly at pursuing officers, but law enforcement reported shots fired as the vehicle approached the Welcome Center near Exit 313.

The suspect pulled into the parking lot before attempting to leave and travel eastbound in the westbound lanes of the turnpike.

After realizing he was unable to continue because of traffic and responding law enforcement units, he stopped the vehicle and exited. A female passenger also exited the vehicle.

Sigmon said the suspect grabbed the woman, held a gun to her head and forced her across the median into the eastbound side of the interstate.

The pair continued across the roadway until they reached an area where they could go no farther. According to Sigmon, the suspect then turned back toward law enforcement and gunfire was exchanged.

The suspect was struck and killed during the encounter. The female passenger also died during the incident.

Authorities have not released the identities of either individual, and investigators are still working to determine the relationship between the suspect and the woman.

"We don't know what their relationship was at this point," Sigmon added.

Earlier information indicated the woman had been picked up at the Downstream Casino parking lot prior to the pursuit. Sigmon said investigators have not yet determined how or why the two came into contact.

No law enforcement officers were injured.

As is standard procedure, the three Miami officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol are leading the investigation.

The incident prompted the closure of westbound Interstate 44 at the Missouri-Oklahoma state line, with it gradually moving back east and closing at Exit 11, near 249.

Sigmon expects the interstate to reopen later Tuesday evening once investigators completed their work at the scene.