Updated on 10/09/25 at 7:41pm
Services and a community candlelight vigil have been announced for an officer who was killed during a standoff in Mississippi County, Missouri, on the evening of Monday, October 6, into the early morning hours of Tuesday, October 7, 2025.
The community candlelight vigil in honor of Officer Henry Franklin is planned for Friday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. outside of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety building.
The City of Sikeston announced a public visitation will be held on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Miner Baptist Church, located at 416 South State Route H in Sikeston, Missouri.
The funeral service will be held immediately following the public visitation, starting at 1 p.m.
According to reports, Officer Henry Franklin was killed in the line of duty on Oct. 6, 2025. Franklin was a member of the Sikeston DPS Tactical Team who responded to a mutual aid call in Mississippi County on Monday. During the service of a warrant, Franklin was shot and killed by a person who was concealed inside the residence.
Original Story
The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control is investigating a deadly officer-involved shooting that happened Monday night in Mississippi County, Missouri, near Bertrand.
According to a news release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety (DPS) SWAT team was called in to help the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office locate and arrest 36-year-old Nathan Peters of Sikeston. Peters was wanted in connection with a homicide that occurred earlier that day.
Around 7:36 p.m., officers arrived at a home in Mississippi County and tried to contact Peters using a phone and loudspeaker. While SWAT members were positioned outside, Peters allegedly opened fire, hitting one Sikeston DPS officer. He continued shooting from inside the home.
By 8 p.m., Sikeston DPS requested backup from the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Troop C SWAT team. Negotiators worked for several hours before Troop C SWAT members entered the home around 12:35 a.m. Tuesday, and found Peters dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The officer who was shot, 41-year-old Henry J. Franklin, of Sikeston, died from his injuries. The Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control is continuing to investigate his death.
Once the investigation is complete, the details will be turned over to the Mississippi County Prosecuting Attorney for review. Authorities say no further information is being released at this time.
This is a developing story.
