Author: KMIZ

Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Missouri bill could force Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the state to identify themselves, if passed. The bill’s introduction follows a deadly shooting in Minneapolis involving an ICE agent and a civilian.

Rep. Ray Reed (D-St. Louis) introduced the bill Wednesday where it received a first reading on the opening day of the 2026 legislative session. If passed, it would require ICE agents to refrain from wearing masks or helmets that could obstruct the person’s identity, according to the bill language.

The bill excludes medical masks, like the ones used during the COVID-19 pandemic or masks that are used to avoid breathing in toxic chemicals.

If an agent violates these rules, that person could be subject to a class A misdemeanor, which is punishable with up to a year in jail and could come with up to $2,000 in fines.

“Across our country, people are now fearful when federal agents operate in plain clothes, without clear identification, and without accountability,” Reed said in a press release.

He also posted on Facebook after the deadly Minnesota shooting.

“In moments like this, we can’t give in to fear or let ourselves be divided. We should demand transparency and accountability while staying peaceful, looking out for one another, and keeping our neighbors safe. That is why I filed legislation to unmask ICE agents working in our state,” Reed wrote.

Protests and vigils were held across the nation Saturday and Sunday for Renee Nicole Reed, the Minneapolis woman killed by an ICE agent, with some in mid-Missouri.

Protesters in Jefferson City called out ICE brutality Saturday, with many people expressing their dislike of the Trump Administration’s crackdown on immigration.

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Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 72-year-old man from Cuba, Missouri, was seriously injured Saturday in a crash in Gasconade County, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the crash happened on Route T, south of Third Street, at 9 p.m.

The man was driving a 2008 Ford Ranger southbound and went off the right side of the road, hitting a fence and several trees, the report says. The truck then overturned, and the man was thrown from it.

He was flown to Mercy St. Louis Hospital with serious injuries. He was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the report.

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Alison Patton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Jefferson City residents silently marched through the city on Saturday after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent killed a Minneapolis woman Wednesday.

Protesters marched past government offices and the Governor’s Mansion wearing all black and holding signs with phrases such as “Stop ICE terror” and “ICE keep your [hands] off our citizens.” Other signs were more specific to the Minneapolis death of Renee Good, like “We brought whistles. They brought guns.”

That sign references a tactic Minneapolis residents used to alert other residents of ICE’s presence, according to an article from CNN. Good was shot while in her vehicle when the agent fired at least three shots and killed her.

There are differing opinions on what Good was doing that made the ICE agent shoot her, according to CNN. The Department of Homeland Security says Good was trying to run over the agent, but local officials say she was driving away.

“You can’t kill someone because they’re fleeing a scene,” protester Susan Paige told ABC 17 News. “Whether it’s legal or not, it doesn’t matter. You don’t just shoot them.”

Paige said the protest was like a funeral march for Good. Approximately 250 to 300 people attended.

We Stand United Missouri protest organizer Tina Langland said people in her community have been feeling unsafe because of what she called ICE brutality.

“A lot of people are not sure what to do. They see these things happening, and they know it’s wrong, and they know it will eventually come to their doorstep,” Langland said. “No one’s safe. If everyone isn’t safe, then no one’s safe.”

Langland said she wants lawmakers to know people don’t support ICE brutality.

“I just need our legislators and leaders in charge to know that the people are not behind these actions by and large, and you have the power to stop it,” Langland said.

Susan Thomas said she came out to protest because her neighbors are afraid to leave their house.

“They haven’t left their house in, gosh, months. They have their groceries delivered, everything. And they’re citizens, but they’re still afraid,” Thomas said.

The Jefferson City protest follows a candelight vigil in Columbia for Good on Friday. The protest is also a part of the national movement “ICE out for good.”

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Nia Hinson

FAYETTE, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Fayette R-III School District says someone damaged its high school football stadium press box.

The school district posted about the incident on Friday night, urging people to contact its superintendent or the Fayette Police Department with information.

In an email sent to ABC 17 News on Saturday afternoon, Superintendent Brent Doolin said the sound system and security cameras were the most expensive things damaged in the incident. Doolin said the person broke several doors, broke into and vandalized the concession stand and sprayed a fire extinguisher in a shed.

Repairs are estimated to cost roughly $20k, according to Doolin.

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Nia Hinson

MILLER COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

An 18-year-old Versailles man was killed in a car crash in Miller County Saturday night, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.

The report says the crash happened on Highway 54, east of Midway Road, around 1 p.m. The man was headed eastbound in a 2012 Mazda 3 and went off the right side of the road and down a “steep” embankment.

The car then hit a tree and overturned, the report says. The man was pronounced dead on scene.

The report says he was not wearing a seatbelt. The vehicle was totaled.

MSHP’s Troop F posted on social media about the deadly crash Saturday evening, urging people to be cautious of first responders working in the area.

🚨Fatal Crash on U.S. 54 in Miller Co.🚨

Troopers are investigating a single vehicle single occupant fatal crash on eastbound U.S. 54, east of Midway Road, in Miller County.

The roadway is not blocked, but please be careful for the first responders working in the area. pic.twitter.com/3wzAXrEB46

— MSHP Troop F (@MSHPTrooperF) January 11, 2026

This is Troop F’s first death for 2026, according to the report.

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Nia Hinson

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Police Department is searching for a man after one person was shot and killed in Jefferson City on Friday, according to a Saturday afternoon press release.

According to the release, police were called to the 800 block of Mulberry Street just after 4 p.m. on Friday after receiving reports that someone had been shot. Witnesses on scene told police the victim had been shot during a fight, and was taken to a hospital in a private vehicle.

Police said the 39-year-old Jefferson City resident was found at the Capital Region Medical Center. They were later airlifted to University Hospital in Columbia where they died.

Police named 29-year-old Malcolm Mayes, of Jefferson City, as the suspect. A warrant has been issued for Mayes’ arrest the release says.

A homicide investigation has been launched.

The shooting comes just one day after two people were charged with felonies in another Jefferson City gun-related incident that happened Tuesday in the 900 block of East Dunklin Street.

Both cases come during a violent stretch across Mid-Missouri.

Earlier this week, Governor Mike Kehoe met with Columbia city leaders following a disturbing shooting last Saturday, when a 17-year-old fired a gun inside a Dick’s Sporting Goods before leaving in a stolen vehicle. The next day, 21-year-old Brianna Hawkins, of Fulton was killed and two others were injured in a shooting at an apartment complex on Clark Lane.

Police are urging anyone with information about Mayes’ whereabouts to contact them.

ABC 17 News reached out to the Jefferson City Police Department.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Lake Ozark announced in a Thursday press release that it will received a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant from the state’s Department of Economic Development for a demolition project.

The release says the money will be put toward a $433,030 demolition project “focused on improving safety and redevelopment opportunities in the Bagnell Dam Strip area.” The rest of the money will be paid by Reese Development, who owns the property.

Twenty-three structures around the Bagnell Dam Strip will be demolished, including the former Shoreland Motel and “a series of residential and commercial structures located along Carls Drive, Ballenger Road, Thornsberry Road, Beach Drive, and School Road,” the release says.

Several of the buildings were certified as dangerous and many have asbestos and other contaminants, the release says. Demolition is expected to begin later this year.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

There were fewer cases of influenza reported around Missouri during the week of Dec. 28-Jan. 3 than the previous week, according to information from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

The total of 7,582 cases still puts the Show-Me State in the “very high” category, but it is down by 10 cases from the prior week.

Most flu cases in Missouri are influenza A, which includes the subclade “K” strain that has been going around.

The DHSS says there have been six flu-related deaths this season.  

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Climax Springs man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he entered an Alford plea on Thursday in Camden County court.

Zackary Yates, 30, entered a plea for two counts of first-degree assault. An Alford plea occurs when a defendant maintains their innocence but admits evidence would likely result in a guilty verdict if the case went to trial. He is currently being held at the Camden County Jail.

Court documents in previous reporting say Yates was driving a Ford pickup truck 90 miles per hour on Feb. 27, 2024, on Highway 54 and once he was being chased, stopped his truck at the intersection of Osage Beach Parkway and KK Drive, put it in reverse and hit a law enforcement vehicle.

Deputies tried shooting at the vehicle to get it to stop on Arrow Road and a police chief tried putting down spike strips, but neither worked, according to the documents. The chase ended after Yates crashed the truck into a tree on Airport Road.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) 

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and its Office of Childhood are working with federal officials as more than half of the state’s child care providers continue to wait for overdue payments.

DESE said in a release Friday it received a request from the federal government late Thursday for a detailed justification of pending child care payment requests before funding can be released.

A DESE spokesperson told ABC 17 News the department was required to submit a breakdown of expenses by allowable category to the federal government.

The federal request follows fraud allegations involving child care centers in Minnesota, where investigations into the alleged misconduct remain ongoing. The investigation also led President Donald Trump’s administration to suspend $10 billion in federal funds that were supposed to go to five Democratic states, a move that was blocked by a federal judge on Friday. 

“We understand the importance of verifying these dollars are spent appropriately, given recent events in other states,” Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger said in DESE’s release. 

The request also comes as child care centers across Missouri have faced ongoing challenges. In December 2023, the state switched software providers for managing subsidy payments to Carahsoft, MTX and World Wide Technology, a transition that led to a backlog of missed payments and forced some day care centers to close. The backlog was not fully cleared until February.

As of Friday, the state said 1,743 of its child care providers, roughly 53%, were impacted by the delay of federal payments. 

DESE said it has been in contact with providers throughout the week about the delays and is urging them to continue submitting invoices to help prevent further setbacks once the state receives the funding.

State Rep. Gregg Bush (D-Boone County) told ABC 17 News that no child care providers have contacted him yet about the additional documentation. He added, however, that he has frequently heard concerns from constituents about child care affordability and availability.

State Rep. John Martin (R-Boone County) also said he has not yet been contacted by constituents regarding the delayed child care payments.

The department said it will notify child care providers with an updated timeline as soon as more information becomes available.

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