Perry County man apparently kills self after firing at police

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A Perry County man apparently killed himself with a single rifle shot early Saturday morning after he used his car to attack his girlfriend in a Perryville park and firing two shots at police.

Coby D. Kinnison, 20, led Perry County deputies, Perryville police officers and Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers on a chase from Perry County Road 810 through Perryville to a field off Perry County Road 702, Perryville police chief Keith Tarrillion said. He was driving an ATV and police kept their distance during the chase after Kinnison pointed his weapon at officers on two occasions without firing.

When Kinnison reached the field where he died about shortly after midnight, he fired twice at pursuing officers, none of whom were injured, Tarrillion said. Officers heard a third shot, but because of the distance and the darkness, were unsure where the round was directed.

After waiting for the arrival of night-vision and thermal sensing equipment, officers approached Kinnison and discovered he had used the last round from his rifle on himself. "The officers held their ground until everything was in place that we needed to do the job," Tarrillion said.

Officers approached Kinnison and discovered his death shortly before 4 a.m., Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf said in a news release.

"This was truly a tragic incident for Kinnison and his family," Schaaf said.

The episode began about 9 p.m. when Perryville officers were called to investigate a report of a woman being assaulted in the city park, Tarrillion said. The woman said her boyfriend had struck her vehicle with his, then fled the scene.

Kinnison lived on Perry County Road 806, and Perryville police asked the sheriff's department to make contact, Tarrillion said.

Shortly after 11 p.m., deputies received a call from the girlfriend reporting she had talked to Kinnison and he was suicidal, giving the location on Perry County Road 810, according to the release from Schaaf.

Deputies spotted Kinnison near a creek off the rural road. He was driving an ATV and had a rifle strapped to his back. The chase through Perryville, including turns down several city streets, ensued, Tarrillion said.

Kinnison opened fire after his ATV struck a fence, Tarrillion said. No officers fired their weapons, he added.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

Perryville, Mo.