UPDATED: 4:40 p.m. on Thursday, June 30, 2011
A Quincy Police Officer and Adams County Sheriff's Deputy are both home after getting shot after both a high speed chase and a standoff.
The suspect has been identified as 24-year-old Benjamin Biggs of Mount Pleasant Iowa.
He died during the standoff from a gunshot wound, but police are not saying whether the gun shot wound was self inflicted.
Biggs already has a criminal record in Iowa.
Most recently, he's listed as a person of interest in the case of of this woman, 24 year old Jackie Douthart.
She's been missing since May.
Investigators think Biggs may have been one of the last to see her.
He's also served jail time for drugs and assaulting a peace officer.
Police are also trying to figure out why Biggs was in Quincy.
Chief Rob Copley says if you notice anything missing from your home, call authorities.
KHQA's Chad Douglas now has more on the condition of the officers, and situation that put them in the hospital.
Quincy police officer Tom Miller was shot in one of four gunfire exchanges. Benjamin Biggs shot Miller in the gun belt, but the bullet did not penetrate his skin. Miller was treated and released. Sgt. Joe Lohmeyer was also shot but the bullet hit his police issued vest, but he was still taken to the hospital to be checked out. Sheriff Brent Fischer says he may be sore for a few days, but should be fine.
Lt. Brad Lacey says, "Obviously, I think someone from higher above was looking after us. We had two officers that were shot. One in a gun belt, the other in the vest. It could have been moved left or right and it'd be a completely different thing."
Sgt. Lohmeyer was shot when CERT team members were storming the house around 4:30 Wednesday. Once he took the bullet, the team's focus changed.
Brent Fischer says, "You have an officer down, you're emotionally attached as far as how we do our job and train day in and day out. We knew where he was, our priority was Sgt. Lohmeyer and making sure he gets out safely."
Lt. Lacey adds, "A lot of times, the layout of the residence will preclude to our actions, and in this situation the layout of the house was a disadvantage."
Police knew they had the suspect, they had the house surrounded, and more manpower and equipment was on the way. That's why they decided to pull out of the house and get Sgt. Lohmeyer and themselves to safety. Lt. Brad Lacey with the Illinois State Police says a real success of the night was how well the three departments worked together.
Lt. Lacey says, "We've got the mindset that three departments working together is better than one solo. A lot of times you're not thinking in all avenues that you could. Someone throws in something, and you know what I wasn't thinking that way. Last night that happened several times."
The house has been released back to its owners.
Quincy police also found Bigg's car this afternoon at the Quincy Country Club.
It has been impounded and will be searched for more evidence as to why Benjamin Biggs was in Quincy in the first place.
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Recent details have come to light regarding Benjamin J. Biggs who died Wednesday in the manhunt and standoff near Liberty, Ill.
KHQA received a news tip via email from a viewer in which an article was brought to our attention. Click here to read the article on Crime Crawlers.
A woman named Jackie Douthart went missing after leaving her sister's house in Mount Pleasant, Iowa on May 22, 2011.
Click here to read a story about Jackie's disappearance from our sister station and news partner KTVO out of Kirksville and Ottumwa. In a follow up story, KTVO published a story about Jackie's mother using social media to help find her ... click here for that story.
Jeff Uhlmeyer of Department of Criminal Investigation Iowa told KHQA that Ben Biggs is a "person of interest" regarding the disappearance of Jackie ... Biggs was an "associate" of the missing woman.
If you have any information regarding Jackie Douthart please contact the Missing Person Information Clearinghouse Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at (800)-346-5507 or call the Mount Pleasant Police Department at 319-385-3511, 319-385-3511, or 319-385-1450.
A Facebook page has been set up to help find Jackie ... click here to view the page.
We will continue to bring you any details as they unfold.
Wednesday's chain of events are a hot topic so join the conversation on our Facebook page here.
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