Illinois trooper shot, motorist dead in exchange of gunfire

MT. VERNON, Ill. (AP) — Police say a state trooper was wounded in southern Illinois during an exchange of gunfire that left a New Mexico motorist dead. Illinois State Police say a trooper stopped about 3 a.m. on Interstate 64  to assist a stranded motorist. That officer encountered 23-year-old motorist Brandon L. Griffin of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and a female passenger. Police say a second state trooper arrived, before there was an altercation and an exchange of gunfire between Griffin and a responding officer. Griffin was pronounced dead at the scene near Mt. Vernon, about 80 miles southeast of St. Louis. Meanwhile, a veteran state trooper was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.