Baxter Springs, Kansas: A call for help to police late Saturday evening took a tragic turn of events when the female caller was fatally shot by the suspect who then proceeded to barricade with his child and shoot at authorities during a standoff that lasted over three hours ending in the death of the suspect and toddler.

On Saturday, Mar. 26, 2022, Baxter Springs Police officers were dispatched around 7:14 p.m. to a call for help from a female in the 300 block of Wyandotte Avenue in Baxter Springs, according to police.

When officers arrived at the location, the woman exited the home and a male suspect, identified as 37-year-old Eli Crawford, shot and killed 27-year-old Taylor Dawn Shutte, police said in a statement regarding the incident.

According to police, the suspect then retreated back inside the home with their 2-year-old child, Clesslyn Crawford. At that point, law enforcement personnel with the Baxter Springs Police Department and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office began taking fire from the suspect.

As the suspect continued to shoot at law enforcement, additional assistance from the Kansas Highway Patrol, Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Joplin SWAT team was requested.

During the nearly three and a half hour assault on law enforcement, an officer was able to return fire towards the suspect, police said.

When officers approached the residence, Crawford and the child were deceased inside, according to police.

Per standard agency protocol, according to police, the law enforcement officer who engaged the suspect has been placed on paid administrative leave. The investigation is ongoing and led by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.