DEPUTY DIES FROM WOUNDS AFTER STANDOFF

A Suspect Is Charged With Murder, Assault After Surrendering.

Salem - Bob Brendell tinkered with the floodlight in front of the Dent
County Courthouse, making sure it would illuminate the flag flying at half
staff.

"Everybody's in shock," the maintenance worker said. "This type of thing
doesn't happen in a nice little town."

Residents in Salem and the surrounding areas are trying to rebound after a
shocking series of events left three people dead, including the chief
deputy of the Sheriff's Department.

Deputy JoAnn Barnes was shot Monday morning while investigating the
killings of Harriet Smith, 51, and Michael Ray Wells, 41.

Earl Mitchell Forrest II has been charged with three counts of first-degree
murder, four counts of armed criminal action, possession of a controlled
substance and assault of a law-enforcement officer.

Sheriff Bob Wofford suffered minor injuries when a bullet, which officials
say was fired from Forrest's .22-caliber handgun, punctured his left side.

The tale of drugs, killings and a shootout with police is as out of place
here as skyscrapers. But residents are being forced to come to grips with
the saga in their corner of the world.

Discovery Of Bodies

Wofford and Barnes responded early Monday to Smith's home on County Road
244, where they discovered the two bodies, officials said.

A witness at the home told the officers he saw Forrest flee the scene.

According to information he's gathered from investigators, Dent County
Prosecutor James Gray said Forrest and his girlfriend, Angelia Gamblin,
drove to the Smith residence, where Forrest got out of the car and entered
the home.

"Apparently, the suspect showed up at the residence and shot the Wells guy
first," Gray said Tuesday after filing the charges. "We don't know if there
was an argument or what, but at some point he shot Harriet Smith."

Gray said Forrest then fled the house and forced Gamblin to drive him to
his home - about 15 miles northeast on County Road 231.

"There was apparently another person in the house who hid in a closet and
heard what happened," Gray said.

Smith and Wells were dead when officers arrived.

With information from the witness, Wofford and Barnes decided to go to the
suspect's home.

'I Saw JoAnn Down'

Wofford said he and Barnes pulled up to Forrest's home and saw a car
sitting outside the front door.

"The description of the vehicle we had was different than the car that was
sitting there," the sheriff said during a telephone interview Tuesday night.

"We were both going up to the door looking for the suspect. We did not know
for a fact he was there."

As the officers approached, Wofford said Gamblin opened the door.

"We were about 10 or 12 feet away when a female answered the door," the
sheriff explained. "She said (the suspect) was there."

Then Wofford saw Forrest in the background.

"I saw him coming from around the couch. I told JoAnn, 'I think he has a
gun.' He headed to the door, crouched at the door and started firing at us."

Wofford said he saw his partner go down as he ran to the cover of his car.
He said both he and Barnes returned fire.

"I saw JoAnn down. I fired one more shot at the subject from behind the
car," the sheriff said, choking back tears. "JoAnn got a shot off."

Gray said both Gamblin and Forrest were shot in the melee.

Salem Police arrived on the scene soon after and a 35-minute standoff
ensued, said Missouri Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Gene DeSalme. Forrest
eventually surrendered.

Emergency units responded and Barnes and Gamblin were airlifted to St.
Louis hospitals.

Forrest, who was shot in the leg and in the jaw, was taken to Salem
Memorial Hospital and then to the University of Missouri Hospital in
Columbia, where he was listed in stable condition Tuesday afternoon.

Wofford later realized he was also shot.

"I didn't know I was hit," he said. "(The bullet) entered and exited my
left chest area."

The sheriff was taken to Salem Memorial and was released.

Barnes was listed in critical condition Monday night, but died from her
injuries about 4 a.m. Tuesday.

Her death left a giant void in the Sheriff's Department.

"We're kind of in a daze right now," Wofford said, again holding back
tears. "A person like that is hard to find. We're really at a loss. It
hurts. Her and I were good friends."

Chaos In The Aftermath

On Tuesday, telltale signs of a horrific gun battle dotted the crime scene.

Bullet holes scarred the white wooden walls of Forrest's single-story home.
A pool of blood stained the black porch mat that reads "Horse Country" in
white letters. Pieces of a bullet-shattered window of a green Dodge Stratus
laid on the dying grass.

Officials believe the slayings were drug-related. A pound and a half of
methamphetamine seen earlier in the day at Smith's home was later found at
Forrest's residence, Gray said.

The prosecutor said he didn't know the street value of the drug, but said
it's more than his office is used to dealing with.

"We rarely find anybody with more than two grams," he said.

Officials haven't decided where Forrest will be held once he recovers from
his injuries. But it probably won't be in Dent County, Gray explained.

"We thought it best that he not come back to our jail due to the emotions
running so high here," the prosecutor said, adding that he hasn't decided
whether to seek the death penalty.

"That's a decision we'll make in the next month or two. Obviously when you
get a law-enforcement officer shot, you're inclined towards that option."

'She Wasn't Afraid'

At the Sheriff's Department, several bouquets of flowers were placed in the
holes of the chainlink fence - a memorial to the fallen deputy.

Black ribbons strewn across the department's doors provided a solemn
reminder of the last 24 hours.

"She was wonderful," said Salem resident Clifton Brown, who knew the chief
deputy for more than a decade. "She wasn't afraid of anything in the world."

At Barnes' house in Lenox, family and friends gathered in the gravel
driveway to reminisce.

"I've known her all my life," said friend Brenda Rickard. "It's gonna be
like a lost neighborhood without her. Nothing like this ever happens around
here. And it should never happen."