Deadly I-64 Shootout Leaves Illinois Trooper Injured and Suspect Dead

A New Mexico motorist was killed and an Illinois state trooper was wounded in an exchange of gunfire on Interstate 64 in southern Illinois. The trooper stopped to assist a stranded motorist and encountered Brandon L. Griffin, 23, and a female passenger. After a second state trooper arrived, an altercation occurred, and gunfire was exchanged between Griffin and a responding officer. Griffin was pronounced dead at the scene, while the trooper was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The shooting happened near Mt. Vernon, Illinois, and the investigation is ongoing.