93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
The suspect behind shots fired in Jefferson City on Tuesday night may be behind a multi-state car chase and a murder before he died.
JCPD investigated shots fired near East Elm and East Dunklin a little before 8 p.m. They found broken glass, but no people were hurt.
Authorites say Leslie Austin, 39, sped away from the shots fired with two kidnap victims, including 33-year-old Danielle Smith.
Officers spotted Austin’s SUV in eastern Missouri’s Franklin County, leading to a chase that crossed into Illinois. A few miles east of St. Louis on Highway 140, authorities say Austin shot and killed 67-year-old Gregory Price as he tried to hijack the victim’s car.
The kidnap victims got away. Smith was shot several times.
The cops say Austin wound up on a dead-end road, shot at them some more, and was killed. It’s not clear whether officers killed him, or he shot himself.
