Richard Dean Bird Killed Deputy Gabriel Ramirez Days After Being Released on Bond

 

Richard Dean Bird Killed a Missouri Deputy During a Traffic Stop, Then Was Killed in a Shootout With Police

Richard Dean Bird, 45, was identified by authorities as the man responsible for killing a sheriff’s deputy and wounding two others during a series of shootings in southwest Missouri in February 2026.

The violence began on February 23 when Bird was pulled over during a traffic stop south of Highlandville.

According to authorities, Bird shot and killed Christian County Sheriff’s Deputy Gabriel Ramirez, 30, before fleeing the scene.

A massive multi-agency manhunt followed.

The next morning, investigators tracked Bird to a wooded area near Reeds Spring in neighboring Stone County.

When officers confronted him, authorities say Bird opened fire, striking Deputy Michael Hislope, 40, and Deputy Wahll and Austin McCall. Bird was then shot and killed by responding officers.

The incident drew additional attention because of Bird’s extensive criminal history and how recently he had been released from custody.

In 2014, Bird was arrested after firing a gun at a Johnson County, Kansas, sheriff’s deputy during a high-speed pursuit. Although initially charged with attempted first-degree murder, he ultimately pleaded guilty to aggravated battery and served time in a Kansas prison.

Then, on February 20, 2026, Bird was arrested again in Stone County on felony allegations of burglary, stealing, and tampering.

He was released on bond on February 21.

Two days later, Deputy Gabriel Ramirez was dead.

Because Bird was killed during the subsequent confrontation, he never faced trial for Ramirez’s killing. The determination that Bird was responsible comes from the law-enforcement investigation.

Gabriel Ramirez was 30 years old. He went to work, conducted a traffic stop, and was fucking murdered. Whatever questions follow about Bird’s criminal history and his release days earlier, Ramirez’s name belongs at the center of this story.