JERSEYVILLE —A police officer injured in a shootout Tuesday that left an attempted burglary suspect dead remained in the intensive care unit of a St. Louis hospital Wednesday, but his condition was stable.
Nathan Miller, 30, was recovering after being struck multiple times by gunfire during a pursuit that began when police answered a burglary call. Miller is a three-year veteran of the Jerseyville Police Department and was previously with the St. Louis Police Department.
“This is a tragic incident and our heart goes out to all family members,” Police Chief Brad Blackorby said.
Blackorby said officers responded to a burglar alarm at DJ’s Pub and Grill at 117 W. Prairie St. at 1:12 a.m. Tuesday and saw someone run from the building. Miller and another Jerseyville police officer, as well as a sheriff’s deputy, pursued the suspect — later identified as Austin M. Durham, 24, of Alton — about a fifth of a mile before the shooting started.
“The exact path I don’t know, but they left DJ’s pursuing him on foot,” Blackorby said. “It ended on [Illinois Route] 16 between two residences.”
He said the suspect started firing on officers, who returned fire.
Durham, formerly of Carrollton, was also shot. He was pronounced dead at a Jersey County hospital a short time later.
Durham had a history of arrests in Greene County, including a charge for possession of a stolen firearm that was dismissed as part of a plea deal. He previously pleaded guilty to two separate felony charges and had a host of other charges amended or dismissed dating back to 2013. Durham was on parole, having been released Sept. 28 from the Pinckneyville Correctional Center after serving about six months in relation to a residential burglary plea.
