<p>CEDAR HILL, Mo. &mdash; A St. Louis-area man was shot to death and an officer was wounded in what authorities said was an hourslong standoff between the man and a sheriff’s department tactical team investigating a potential homicide.</p>
<p>Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said deputies were serving a search warrant Friday evening at a home outside of Cedar Hill, a town of about 1,700 residents 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of St. Louis. He said the man immediately began firing at officers. </p>
<p>“They exchanged gunfire back and forth over a couple of hours,” Marshak told reporters in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/155572761227586/videos/378021393647849">a video</a> posted by his department on Facebook. “The suspect was actively trying to kill police officers.”</p>
<p>Marshak said the man was shot by sheriff’s deputies. He said sheriff’s detectives were investigating a missing person case and believe the subject of that case was killed.</p>
<p>The sheriff’s department did not name the dead man or the sheriff’s officer who was shot, though Marshak described the officer as a “seasoned” officer and “one of our best.”</p>
<p>The sheriff said the officer was shot below his tactical vest and was taken to a local hospital for surgery. He was expected to survive, Marshak said.</p>
<p>The sheriff said officers were near the house “for a while” gathering intelligence before they served the warrant, and the man knew they were there.</p>
<p>“This suspect is known to law enforcement,” Marshak told reporters at the scene. “He has a lengthy history. This is not the first time he’s encountered law enforcement.”</p>