Month: December 2025

Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The family of the man killed in a May shooting outside a McDonald’s in south Columbia says police might have acted too slowly in giving him emergency medical aid before his death.

“The police came up to him, laying on the ground, fighting for his life, and they just, they handcuff him,” said Nigel Gonzalez, the oldest brother of Derek Gonzalez. “It’s a very crass thing to do.”

Police say Derek Gonzalez and Ryan Woods “encountered each other in traffic” on May 18. The drivers pulled into the McDonald’s parking lot, and a confrontation led to both men firing shots. Woods’ passenger, Taylor Crawford, was shot along with Gonzalez. Gonzalez was later pronounced dead at a hospital, and Crawford recovered from her injuries following surgery.

Shortly after the shooting, police said the Boone County prosecutor would not file charges against Woods. In September, Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson wrote a letter to Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude saying no criminal charges would be filed.

“We have concluded that Ryan Woods’s actions were justified as self-defense and defense of another,” the letter read.

Following Johnson’s letter, the Gonzalez family received the evidence file in Derek Gonzalez’s case. The Gonzalez family shared that file with ABC 17 News.

Body camera footage included in the file shows Columbia Police officers arriving and approaching Derek Gonzalez, face down on the ground after being shot. An officer is directed to detain Gonzalez. The officer then attempts to handcuff Gonzalez until firefighters and medics arrive to try to provide life-saving care.

“Could his life have been saved if these life-saving measures were given in a timely manner?” said Emilee Preciado, Derek Gonzalez’s younger sister.

WARNING: Video contains content that might disturb some viewers.

Witness accounts from police reports obtained through the discovery file say shots were first heard between 12:20 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. The incident report shows the first officers arrived at the scene at 12:39 p.m. Officers first approached Gonzalez, lying on the ground, at 12:46 p.m., and fire and EMS arrived at 12:47 p.m. Medics took Gonzalez to the ambulance for transport at 12:52 p.m.

Johnson addresses the time it took to provide aid briefly in his letter to Schlude.

“An investigator for the Gonzalez family indicated concern that police had left Gonzalez on the ground and never provided first aid,” the letter states. “Officer body cameras, however, show that the Columbia Fire Department arrived very quickly. The police officers first on scene worked to secure the area and make it safe for medics. While officers were attempting to secure Gonzalez, medics from the fire department arrived and took over medical care. So, while it is true that officers did not render first aid, that is because Fire Department medics responded so quickly and immediately took over care.”

Johnson’s statement aligns with protocols that Columbia Assistant Police Chief Mark Fitzgerald explained during an interview with ABC 17 News. He declined to talk about the details of this particular case, however.

“Our lane to get the best care for a suspect is to ensure that the scene is safe and secure for the paramedics to come in,” Fitzgerald said.

But members of the Gonzalez family say there was no need to “secure” Derek Gonzalez, as he was already down, not moving, and severely hurt.

“Our son was not a threat once he had been shot,” said Jorge Gonzalez, Derek Gonzalez’s father. “They should have rendered aid immediately. Seeing that our son was unresponsive, he was thrown on the ground, he wasn’t moving.”

Fitzgerald said officers are trained to focus on three things when they respond to any scene: preserving life, preserving peace and preserving property.

“Preserving life is going to be the highest priority,” Fitzgerald said. “The arrest and the investigation can come after the medical care is provided for.”

Fitzgerald said officers also receive first-aid and CPR training in the police academy. Officers are also equipped with medical supplies in every police car.

“They have tourniquets, they have quick clot, bandages, gauze,” Fitzgerald said. “Some things that would be in a normal trauma medical kit.”

The Gonzalez family says CPD officers broke protocol by failing to provide first aid and medical care to Derek immediately before fire and EMS arrived.

“They didn’t follow protocol at all,” Jorge Gonzalez said. “I’m sure they got CPR training and how to apply pressure to wounds or to do something to preserve the life of the victim, but none of that was taken into consideration. None of that action was taken.”

When an ABC 17 News reporter asked Fitzgerald to review the body camera footage of officers trying to handcuff Gonzalez, he declined.

Now, the Gonzalez family is calling on CPD to provide some answers to explain their actions in the body camera footage.

“It’ll never make it better, but I think we as a family deserve an explanation as to why those steps were taken,” said Lionel Gonzalez, Derek Gonzalez’s older brother.

They are asking for possible discipline for the officers.

“There has to be something done, at least a statement, if not some type of reprimanding of the people that didn’t actually follow protocol properly,” Nigel Gonzalez said.

CPD says Derek Gonzalez’s case is still open, and the investigation is ongoing, but the department would not elaborate on why the case hasn’t been closed. No lawsuits have been filed by the Gonzalez family or any of the other involved parties, though the Gonzalez family says they’re exploring their options.

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Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri’s new congressional maps are now state law.

That is, according to the Missouri attorney general and secretary of state.

However, the group fighting the maps says that’s not true, and that the map was suspended from going into effect when they submitted more than 300,000 signatures on a petition to override it.

In a statement, a People not Politicians spokesperson cited when then-Attorney General Josh Hawley and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft suspended legislation when signatures were submitted in 2017.

“It is historically undisputed by both Republicans and Democrats that laws subject to a citizen referendum are suspended when signatures are submitted,” the release states. “In 2017, a so-called ‘right to work’ law was suspended the moment signatures were submitted. During this time, Jay Ashcroft was the Secretary of State and Josh Hawley was the Attorney General. Ashcroft’s office even took the proactive step of showing reporters how a 1982 bill was suspended once signatures were submitted that year. “

People Not Politicians says Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’ office testified in court that the legislation would be suspended.  

The Attorney General’s Office said in a statement that a federal judge ruled the maps can not be frozen because the referendum is not yet certified by the secretary of state.

The Secretary of State’s Office said in a statement that the maps are in effect as of Thursday.

“The referendum is being processed and going through the process – it has not yet completed certification,” a spokesperson said. “On or before December 23, signatures will be sent to local election authorities for verification. Clerks have until July 28 to verify and return. Certification is the last step of the process, when the Secretary certifies the signatures and the constitutionality of the referendum.”

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County Fire Protection District Chief Scott Olsen is retiring.

BCFPD announced in a Thursday press release the last day of Olsen’s career will be Feb. 1, 2026. Olsen submitted his letter of resignation to the district on Wednesday. Olsen said that after receiving his 40-year service award at the department banquet last Saturday, he decided it was time to hang it up.

“I had been talking with the board for actually several months about retiring next year and so it was just a matter of time,” Olsen said. “We finally came to the agreement that it’s probably time to do it here at the beginning of the year so that the next fire chief can kind of get a fresh start at the beginning of the year.”

Olsen has served in the role of chief for the past 17 years, according to a biography sent to ABC 17 News. Olsen has 48 years of fire service, EMS rescue and disaster response experience

He started his career with BCFPD as a volunteer firefighter at Station 1 in 1985 and was promoted to lieutenant the next year. He became the support services bureau chief in 1990 and later became battalion chief and assistant chief in 2005, the bio says.

“When I started there were no cellphones. There were no portable computers of any sort,” Olsen said. “The research that has gone into our profession to make it safer, the technology to help it become safer, the type of personal protective equipment we wear…”

Olsen is one of the original members of Missouri Task Force 1 and serves as the task force’s leader, program manager and sponsoring agency chief, the bio says. Olsen also serves as the planning section chief for the National US&R Response System Incident Support Team and was previously the team lead for SEMA’s Region F, according to the bio.

Olsen also served as the Chair of the Boone county local emergency planning committee for six years, the emergency management director to the Boone County Office of Emergency Management for four years, the chair of the School Emergency Preparedness Group and is currently Chairing the Boone County Public safety advisory committee’s active assailant policy subcommittee, according to the release. He also Chaired the FEMA US&R Search Information Standardization Working Group and currently Chairs the FEMA US&R sUAS Working Group, the bio says.

BCFPD Assistant Chief Doug Westhoff will be named the interim chief.

Olsen said Westhoff was the first to manage the rescue team, while he served as the overall coordinator for all training.

“I hired him actually on the fire district. I want to say roughly, I think it was in 2000, to be the program manager for the task force,” Olsen said. “He was the right choice to do that. He managed the team. He took the team to its first deployment in New York for the World Trade Center attacks and then has been growing with the team ever since.”

Olsen said he and Westhoff have followed similar career paths over the years. He added Westhoff brings strong expertise in rescue and technical rescue.

“I would say we’re closely aligned philosophically about the fire district and with what the fire district means to the community and you know, how to take care of the volunteer firefighter in our department,” Olsen said.

Westhoff began his service career in 1976 at just 14 years old through the junior firefighter program. He became a firefighter at 18 and continued serving at Station 1.

“I moved through the ranks there as a lieutenant and then a captain and station commander at Station 1,” Westhoff said.

He was hired in 2000 as the Task Force program manager, a role he served in for 15 years. During that time, he was promoted to assistant chief and later to deputy chief in 2022.

“I love the people and I love the work. It’s never the same thing twice,” Westhoff said.

With decades of experience behind him, Westhoff said he’s focused on leading the department and preparing the next chief for success.

“I’m a gentle man who’s 63 years old. I’m not going to be here forever. My intention is to take this organization and transition to not only my leadership, but the chief that will follow me,” he said.

The position holds special meaning for Westhoff, his father served as the district’s very first fire chief. He said stepping into the role feels like continuing a family legacy.

Westhoff is already planning for the department’s future.

“We need to bolster some of the staff positions here so we have a bit more depth for some of the changes, personnel changes that may occur in the future,” he said.

Olsen leaves the department earning just under $190,000 a year, more than a $75,000 increase from when he became fire chief in 2009. Westhoff told ABC 17 News that the board has not yet determined what his salary will be when he takes over next year.

Olsen said that when this chapter ends, he’s looking forward to slowing down and spending more time with his family but he made it clear the community will still see him around.

Once Feb. 1 arrives, Olsen said the reality of retirement will truly set in.

“Oh I will be sad. I mean, I have a lot of friends here, right? I have the people I work here in office. Well, I know all the volunteers in the fire district. I know a lot of their family members. I’ve been with people here for a long, long time,” he said.

He expressed gratitude and humility toward the volunteers and everyone in the department who supported him throughout his career.

“I’m not anything special here. I’ll be quite honest with you,” Olsen said. “You are asking people to volunteer and step away from their job, you know baseball game from with their child to go help our neighbor, and that’s very laudable attribute for a person.”

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