Slain Missouri Officer was Dispatched to Wrong House

Clinton Police Officer Ryan Morton was killed Tuesday night while responding to the street address he was told to go to — but the dispatch center had mistakenly sent him to the wrong city.

He should have been dispatched to an address in Windsor, 25 miles away, where the call originated, the News-Leader reports.

The apparent mistake at the dispatch center is being investigated, said Sgt. Bill Lowe, spokesman for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Lowe spoke at a press conference at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

At the house in Clinton, the three officers encountered James E. Waters, 37. He was alone, Lowe said.

Waters, who died Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, was out on bail after he was arrested and charged in Cass County in November after police say they found him with a gun and meth.

But in addition to that, said Richard Shields, prosecuting attorney in Henry County, police were looking for Waters in connection with a reported rape that had occurred earlier this week.