Man charged in Jefferson City shooting that left two critically hurt denied bond
Olivia Hayes
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Jefferson City man accused in a domestic shooting was denied bond Wednesday.
Michael Anthony Davis, 40, will remain in the Cole County Jail after Cole County Judge Joseph Shetler ruled against allowing him out on bond. Davis is charged with first-degree domestic assault, three counts of armed criminal action and one count each of first-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon.
The probable cause statement says Jefferson City police were investigating a crash in the 1800 block of Highway 50/63 East when they heard multiple shots being fired nearby.
Two women with life-threatening gunshot wounds were found in a vehicle in a wooded area in the 110 block of Cordell St., the statement says. They were brought to University Hospital in Columbia.
A witness described seeing a woman arguing with Davis, and Davis allegedly pulled out a long gun, the statement says. The witness did not see shots being fired, but they heard several shots in a row, the statement says. Police found roughly 30 shell casings in the 900 block of Harding Street, and Davis was arrested shortly after.
Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson confirmed one of the woman was the wife of Davis, the other woman was her friend. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that there have been more than 200 victims of domestic violence in Jefferson City in 2025 so far, 75% of those victims were women.
Thompson said cases of domestic abuse can come with their own type of challenges.
“You’ll have individuals in those cases who are caught up in the cycle of domestic violence. There’s a certain type of manipulation that goes on by the defendant and that can make it very difficult sometimes,” Thompson said.
He explained the different ways the prosecutor’s office could approach a domestic assault case.
“We do the best we can. We try to, when we may not have a cooperative victim, go with evidence based prosecution. Photographs of injuries, witness statements, things like that,” Thompson said.
Lori Haney, Executive Director for Citizens Against Spousal Abuse – Sedalia, says the cycle of domestic abuse starts with emotional abuse.
“Trying to control what the victim wears, where they may go, who they communicate with, losing resources, losing their job, losing access to transportation, access to money,” Haney said.
She explained how things can escalate even further from there.
“Then, you have that explosive phase where that abuse incident or incidents occurs and then there’s kind of a calming down period where an abuser may even feel remorseful and apologetic,” Haney said.
Haney said that have a safety plan is the first step to getting away from an abusive situation.
“Legal documents and identification are your first and foremost priority,” Haney said. “From there, where is going to be a safe place to go and I really have to highly recommend contacting victim service agencies in and around your area.”
Thompson said the prosecutors office has resources for those experiencing domestic abuse. He said local and county law enforcement in the area can also help victims find available resources.
Davis appeared through video call from Cole County Jail Wednesday and was read his charges. Davis did not have an attorney present.
Judge Joseph Shetler said Davis was a danger to the community due to the nature of the charges. Davis is scheduled for another bond review on Friday and a hearing on Oct. 30.