New Highway Patrol trooper identified as JPD sniper who accidentally killed Clesslyn Crawford

 

Following a two-year court battle, KCUR, a Kansas City public radio station, revealed today that Keaton Siebenaler, who left the Joplin Police Department in August 2025 was the sniper who accidentally killed 2-year-old Clesslyn Crawford March 26, 2002 in Cherokee County, Kansas.

Siebenaler graduated from the Missouri State Highway Patrol Academy last week and has been assigned to Troop D where he is patrolling Barton and Vernon counties.

The release of Siebenaler's name was part of an agreement with KCUR, according to a statement released last week by the station's attorney, Bernard Rhoads.

The City of Joplin was scheduled to release the officer's name in response to a Sunshine Law request when "John Doe" filed a request November 20, 2023 for a temporary restraining order and a permanent injunction.

The sniper was with a JPD contingent that was called in for assistance March 26, 2022 for a standoff at 340 Wyandotte Avenue in Baxter Springs. A female caller told Baxter Springs dispatch she needed helped and when officers arrived, the woman, Taylor Dawn Shutte, 27, was shot to death by Eli Crawford, 37, who then went back into the house with their 2-year-old daughter, Clesslyn Crawford.

Crawford began shooting at officers from the Baxter Springs Police Department and the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, who called in additional assistance from the Kansas Highway Patrol, Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Joplin Police Department SWAT including John Doe.

According to a report issued in September 2023 by the Cherokee County District Attorney's office and including the conclusions of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Eli Crawford fired more than 90 rounds from the trailer window.

Crawford offered a deal to negotiators, according to the report.

"Send my sister and get my baby and everything is fine. Other than that, I have hand grenades and fully automatic weapons that I am getting ready to use. Do you hear me? If you don't do this, then you are going to have a bunch of dead people on your hands."

Negotiations continued for the next 20 minutes interspersed with shots from the trailer. At that point, Siebenaler took the fatal shot.

After that, Crawford fired another shot, killing himself.

Following an investigation, the Cherokee County District Attorney's office determined no charges would be filed against Siebenaler and that he was justified in using deadly force against Eli Crawford, the person he thought he was shooting.

Siebenaler was also cleared in the Joplin Police Department internal investigation.