Kenneth Lee Simpson, a former Eureka resident, has been charged in a shooting that killed one Hermann Police officer and left another critically wounded, court documents show.
Simpson, 35, whose address is listed as Steelville in court records, had been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree assault, both class A felonies; two counts of armed criminal action, each one an unclassified felony; and unlawful possession of a firearm, a class D felony, according to court records.
Prosecutors could pursue the death penalty against Simpson for the murder charge, which also is punishable by life in prison.
The assault charge carries a penalty of 10 to 30 years or life in prison. Armed criminal action charges are punishable by five to 15 years in prison, and the unlawful possession charge carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison.
Simpson, a prior offender, was being held without bond on Tuesday, March 14, in the Crawford County Jail, court documents show.
Simpson was arrested at about 1:50 p.m. Monday, March 13, after police reportedly used tear gas to get him out of a home in the 100 block of Hwy. 19 in Hermann. Simpson had barricaded himself in the home for about 13 hours following the shooting incident, police said.
At about 9 p.m. Sunday, March 12, Detective Sgt. Mason Griffith and Officer Adam Sullentrup went to the Casey’s General Store, 115 Hwy. 19, to arrest Simpson, who was wanted on multiple warrants issued in Franklin and Warren counties, the highway patrol reported.
The officers contacted Simpson inside the convenience store and an altercation ensued. Simpson allegedly shot both officers, the report said. The highway patrol did not say if the officers shot at Simpson.
Griffith, 34, died following the shooting, and Sullentrup, 31, was injured, according to a post of the city of Hermann’s Facebook page.
Following the shooting, officers learned Simpson had fled to a nearby home, and the highway patrol’s SWAT team and negotiators surrounded the house on Sunday night, according to the report.
Simpson has a lengthy criminal history with cases for drugs, weapon offenses, assault and property damage, court records show.
In September 2017, Simpson was charged in Warren County with unlawful possession of a firearm, two counts of unlawful possession, transport, manufacture, repair or sale of an illegal weapon and possession of a controlled substance, all class D felonies, and he was set to stand trial in 2020. However, that was canceled because of COVID-19 restrictions, according to court documents.
In August, a St. Louis County judge issued a warrant for his arrest when Simpson failed to show up in court for a different drug possession case and in September, an arrest warrant was issued when he failed to show up in court for a hearing on the 2017 case, court records show. About a month later, the case was removed from the trial docket until the outstanding warrants were served.