Woman killed by Greene County sheriff's deputy in Republic was from Mountain Grove

The sheriff says the victim tried to shoot the deputy.

October 05, 2011|by Mike Landis, KY3 News | newsalerts@ky3.com

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The woman who was fatally shot after a Greene County sheriff's deputy says she tried to shoot him on Tuesday night was Tammy Robinette, formerly known as Traci Campbell, 46, of Mountain Grove.

An autopsy is scheduled in Springfield at 4 p.m. Wednesday. The deputy involved in this shooting will remain on paid administrative suspension pending the conclusion of the investigation. Detectives from the Greene County Sheriff’s Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol are investigating this shooting and the events which led up to it.

Court records show Robinette changed her name last January in Jasper County Circuit Court in Cathage. Online court records show three lawsuits for breach of contract this year against her in Jasper County by banks. Those lawsuits list her address in Mountain Grove. The records show she divorced in May of this year but no children were involved in the divorce.

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Sheriff Jim Arnott says there were several 911 calls about a possible drunken driver on West Bypass in Springfield. Law enforcement officers also received a tip that the person, who was driving a blue minivan, possibly wanted to die and could be armed.

A Greene County deputy eventually began following the minivan on James River Freeway (Missouri 360). Just west of the Highway MM interchange, the deputy stopped the minivan in the Brookline area of Republic.

Sheriff Arnott said the deputy confronted the driver, who turned off vehicle and then pulled out a gun. The officer then shot and killed the driver.

The westbound lanes of the freeway were closed for several hours Tuesday night for the investigation, which is being conducted by the sheriff’s department and the Missouri Highway Patrol.

The deputy, who was not injured, has been placed on paid administrative leave, which is a routine practice after a law enforcement officer uses deadly force. The name of the victim was not released by late Tuesday.

Arnott said footage taken from a dash-mounted video camera in the patrol car could provide additional details for investigators.

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