Editor’s note: The Christian County Sheriff’s Office has named the two deputies who died as Deputy Gabriel Ramirez and Deputy Michael Hislope. Deputy Ramirez, 30, commenced his service with the Christian County Sheriff’s Office in March 2025. Deputy Hislope, 40, began working for the community in 2019.
By Laura Bauer
The Kansas City Star
HIGHLANDVILLE, Mo. — The individual whom authorities allege shot a deputy to death in southwest Missouri , and who subsequently perished in a gunfight with law enforcement, possessed a criminal record in the Kansas City vicinity.
Richard Dean Bird, 45, was killed by gunfire early Tuesday following an extensive search, according to regional media outlets. Law enforcement initiated this manhunt after Bird reportedly shot and killed Christian County Deputy Gabriel Ramirez during a traffic stop on Monday afternoon.
After an hours-long search for Bird, officials located him in a neighboring county and engaged in a shootout early Tuesday. During this confrontation, another Christian County deputy was fatally shot, media reports indicate, and two additional deputies sustained injuries. One of the injured is a Christian County Deputy, and the other is a deputy from Webster County, as reported by the Springfield Daily Citizen.
“It’s been a long day. It’s been a trying day,” Christian County Sheriff Brad Cole told reporters early Tuesday. “And the upcoming days are going to be harder than today was.”
Bird previously resided in the Kansas City area and had a documented criminal history in Kansas during that period.
In September 2014, Bird was apprehended and indicted for allegedly discharging a firearm at a Johnson County, Kansas, sheriff’s deputy who was investigating a theft at a construction site located at 191st Street and State Line Road. At that time, Bird was living in Belton.
As per an article in The Star published after his arrest, Bird discharged “multiple shots from a rifle at the deputy, who was not hit.”
He was subsequently charged with attempted first-degree murder and theft, and his bail was initially established at $1 million.
Ultimately, Bird entered a plea of guilty to lesser offenses and received a sentence in 2016 for five counts originating from the September 2014 incident.
‘Danger to the community’
Bird possesses an extensive criminal record across both states. His most recent release from the Kansas Department of Corrections occurred in April 2023, according to that agency’s online records.
Less than a year later, in Taney County, Missouri, he faced charges of second-degree burglary and first-degree trespassing. He was accused of “forcibly entering an inhabitable structure” in March 2024 and “was found with gloves, a flashlight, and a knife,” as detailed in court documents.
At that juncture, a probable cause statement outlining the accusations against him asserted he posed a “danger to the community or to any other person.”
“Richard has been convicted of Burglary and Receiving Stolen Property (03/19/2003), Tampering (02/10/20114), Stealing MV (08/09/2021), Tampering (10/06/2022), and Theft out of Kansas (05/31/2016),” the affidavit said. “There are reasonable grounds to believe that the defendant will not appear upon a summons because: Richard has had numerous charges for fleeing/resisting as well as a probation violation.”
Later in 2024, Bird received a sentence that included a $200 fine plus court costs for each of the two new charges.
While addressing reporters in southwest Missouri on Tuesday morning, Sheriff Cole commended his two deceased officers for safeguarding Christian County’s residents.
“We do what we have to do to make sure that our citizens are safe,” Cole told reporters, according to the Springfield Daily Citizen. “And that’s what we did today. We took a bad guy off the street and sent him where he needed to be.”
Messages from law enforcement
The Billings Police Department shared a message on Facebook after the initial deputy was shot and killed. Billings is situated within Christian County.
“God called one home today,” the post said. “Let us focus our thoughts and prayers on the needs of his family and loved ones. There’s no words for this senseless act to make any sense, so I won’t even try.”
The department’s communication also urged individuals to “pray for the Christian County Sheriffs Office, the Christian County 911 dispatchers who were on the other end of those radio calls along with answering the 911 calls from the public’s reports.”
“Pray for all of the first responders who responded as their lives are forever changed. And continue to pray for the safety of the law enforcement community who are attempting to take the suspect into custody, and that no further law enforcement or innocent bystanders will be in harms way.
“May God Bless the Thin Blue Line brothers and sisters.”
The search for Bird concluded in Stone County, located south of Christian County. Many officers and deputies from across southwest Missouri had participated in the effort to locate Bird.
The Aurora Police Department, in neighboring Lawrence County, also issued a statement regarding the fatal shooting.
“We wish we had the perfect words,” the message said. “We just don’t.
“God bless the Christian County Sheriff’s Office, the Deputies that lost their lives, the ones recovering in the hospital, the families who have to navigate this unimaginable disaster, and the brothers and sisters in law enforcement who have just had to live through the worst 14 hours of their careers.
“Blessed are the peacemakers.”
This article, originally published at 10:22 a.m. ET on Feb. 24, has been updated with additional details concerning the shooting.
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