On the afternoon of February 8, 1987, a 45-year-old male Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper named Russell Wynn Harper was patrolling U.S. Highway 60 just east of Springfield, Missouri. While operating a radar device in Greene County near Farm Route 189, he observed a red and white mid-1960s Chevrolet pickup truck traveling at an excessive speed.
Trooper Harper activated his emergency lights and pursued the vehicle for approximately one and a half miles before the driver turned onto a farm road and came to a halt.
As Trooper Harper pulled his patrol vehicle behind the truck, the situation escalated violently before he could even step out onto the roadway. The driver of the pickup, later identified as Glennon Paul Sweet, immediately exited his vehicle armed with an HK93 semi-automatic assault rifle. Sweet opened fire on the patrol car, discharging over 25 rounds. The barrage of gunfire penetrated the windshield, striking Trooper Harper in the head and killing him instantly. Sweet then fled the scene in his truck, leaving the slain officer in his vehicle which subsequently rolled into a nearby ditch.
A massive manhunt involving multiple law enforcement agencies was launched immediately following the shooting. Sweet attempted to evade capture by driving to the home of an acquaintance, where they tried to disguise the pickup truck by replacing tires and painting it. Investigators eventually tracked Sweet to a residence west of Springfield. Authorities executed a search warrant at the property and discovered Sweet hiding in the attic, still in possession of a newspaper containing reports about the murder. He was taken into custody without further incident.
The legal proceedings against Glennon Paul Sweet were swift and decisive. He was charged with first-degree murder for the death of Trooper Harper. During the trial, prosecutors presented overwhelming evidence, including witness testimony and ballistics matching the weapon found near the arrest site. Sweet was convicted of the charge and sentenced to death. After exhausting his appeals, Glennon Paul Sweet was executed by lethal injection on April 22, 1998, at the Potosi Correctional Center. Trooper Harper was survived by his wife, three sons, and a stepdaughter.
