Federal grand jury indicts felon who shot Jasper County deputy in 2017 on meth trafficking, weapons charges

A federal grand jury has indicted a St. Louis area man who shot a Jasper County deputy March 1, 2017 at the Econo Lodge on Range Line on two counts of meth conspiracy, one count of using a weapon in drug trafficking and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The indictment, which was unsealed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, indicates the charges against E. F. Fitchpatrick, 46, are in connection with the Econo Lodge shooting.

A McDonald County jury acquitted Fitchpatrick July 23 of assault and armed criminal action charges in connection with his shooting of Nolan Murray, who was executing a search warrant. Fitchpatrick testified that he thought Murray was one of the Joplin Honkies attempting to steal his drugs and cash.








The events leading to Fitchpatrick's arrest were detailed in a March 2017 news release:

On March 1st, 2017 at 3:48p.m. officers with the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team were attempting to serve a search warrant at the Econo Lodge Hotel, 3510 South Range Line Road. 

As officers attempted to make entry into the second floor room a gun shot (s) was fired at the officers through a window striking Jasper County Deputy Nolan Murray. 

Deputy Murray, who was wearing a bullet resistant vest suffered injury from the gun shot and was transported by EMS to Freeman Hospital. Officers on scene requested assistance through Joplin Dispatch.

Officers with the Joplin Police Department arrived and a SWAT operation was activated. After failed attempts to establish contact with the suspect in the room, officers deployed chemical munitions into the room. EF Fitchpatrick Jr (43) of St. Louis, exited the room and was taken into custody and transported to Mercy Hospital by EMS.