Deputy shot with airgun; 3 arrested

CHARLESTON -- Three people are in custody after a Mississippi County deputy was shot while making a traffic stop.

According to Mississippi County Sheriff Keith Moore, the incident took place early Saturday, when deputies Marc Tragesser and Mike Borders initiated a traffic stop on Miller Street in East Prairie.

As Tragesser approached the vehicle, he noticed the driver, Laura Chimienti, on her phone. Officers suspected she was attempting to warn Alex E. Rendon, a wanted felon.

"As Deputy Tragesser placed Chimienti under arrest, he heard a pop, felt a very sharp pain in his abdomen and realized he had been shot," Moore said in the news release. "Then, as he ducked for cover, Deputy Tragesser saw Alex Rendon run into a neighboring house with what looked like an assault rifle in his hand."

After Tragesser determined the bullet had not pierced his skin, assistance was requested from East Prairie police officers. The officers then surrounded the house.

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