JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri flags are flying at half staff this Sunday to honor fallen Hermann Police Department Detective Sergeant Mason Griffith. He was shot and killed during an incident at a gas station on March 12. A funeral for the officer is being held this weekend.

Flags at government buildings in Gasconade County will be at half staff on March 19. Acting Governor Mike Kehoe gave the order. Governor Mike Parson is on a trade mission to Sweden and Germany to promote Missouri business.

“Detective Sergeant Griffith was a model officer, committed to honorably serving the people of Hermann, Rosebud, and Gasconade County,” states Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe. “This senseless act of violence is a solemn reminder of the dangers law enforcement officers face each day to keep our communities safe, and the debt we owe them for their courageous service. Claudia and I continue to pray for Mason’s family and the entire law enforcement community during this difficult time.”

The Associated Press repoerts: A man accused of fatally shooting one officer and wounding another at a small-town Missouri convenience store was charged Tuesday with murder and four other crimes. Prosecutors charged 35-year-old Kenneth Lee Simpson of St. Louis County with first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, first-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm. A judge ordered him held without bond. An arraignment hearing was scheduled for Wednesday.

The shooting happened Sunday night at a convenience store in Hermann, a town of 2,100 residents. Detective Sgt. Mason Griffith of the Hermann Police Department died, and Officer Adam Sullentrup is hospitalized in stable condition. Simpson was captured Monday at a home near the store