At approximately 12:24 p.m., yesterday, members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol were called to assist the Butler, Missouri, Police Department, with a vehicle pursuit in Bates County, Missouri. The suspect was being pursued for leaving a convenience store on Missouri 52 without paying for gasoline. A Butler, Missouri, Police Officer located the vehicle and pursued the suspect on Rice Street, south of Missouri 52. The suspect, who was later identified Forrest Scott Smith, 42, of Houston, Texas, displayed a handgun and was fatally injured from an apparent self inflicted gunshot wound. The vehicle was traveling at a low rate of speed and traveled off the right side of the roadway and came to rest.
The autopsy of Smith is scheduled for Thursday by the Jackson County Medical Examiner. Law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation include the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control, Bates County Sheriff's Department, and the Butler Police Department.
