A Rainier, Ore., police officer was shot in the hand during a traffic stop Monday by a suspect who fled the scene, sparked a four-hour manhunt and was later found dead near Clatskanie, Ore.
Rainier police Officer Russ George and a reserve officer stopped a car on state Highway 30 near Veteran’s Way in Rainier at about 12:30 p.m.
After George approached the vehicle, the male driver shot him in one of his hands, according to an Oregon State Police press release.
KGW-TV reports the officer was involved in a struggle with the suspect prior to the shooting. The television station reports the round ricocheted off the officer’s bulletproof vest. George’s injuries were not life threatening, and he was able to drive himself to a hospital in Longview, according to OSP.
