Category: kmiz-local-news

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has issued stormwater discharge permits to the City of Columbia and Boone County, the department said Monday — a move that will allow the local governments to avoid state sanctions.

DNR has been reviewing the city and county permits to discharge stormwater into the environment for months, with state officials bringing up concerns about homeless camps near Hinkson Creek multiple times,

“Prior to receiving the co-permittees’ permit application, the department fielded approximately 30 citizen concerns regarding potential pollutants entering waters of the state from illegal dumping at large encampment sites in the Columbia MS4 service area,” DNR stated in a news release Monday.

State and federal authorities require the permit, known as MS4, to release stormwater into streams. Without a permit, the city could face high fines for dumping that stormwater.

After the county modified its ordinance on March 30, the city did so on July 2, barring the dumping of waste from encampments into bodies of water. DNR required those changes before it would issue the permit, which took effect Saturday.

“Waste created by local encampments has had a direct and significant environmental impact on Columbia area waterways,” said Kurt Schaefer, director of the Department of Natural Resources. “We believed it was important for the co-permittees to add specific language to their ordinances that, if enforced, would effectively address those issues and allow the department to hold them accountable.”

No data has been publicly released detailing the pollution homeless camps cause in Columbia streams.

Some Columbia City Council members shared concerns when the ordinance was voted on that it unfairly targets homeless people.

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Marie Moyer

Columbia, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 58-year-old Osage Beach man was seriously injured Sunday in a Camden County motorcycle crash.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, at around 5:10 p.m., the man was on a 2013 Triumph Rocket 3 heading east on U.S. Route 54 at J.R. Hunt Dr. when he lost control of the motorcycle.

The motorcycle then flipped. The man was wearing a helmet and airlifted to University Hospital. The motorcycle was moderately damaged.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 69-year-old Edwards man was seriously injured in Camden County Sunday afternoon in a UTV crash.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, at around 1 p.m., the man was driving a John Deere 855D south on Paradise Acres Road, just south of Brown Bend Road. He then drove off the right side of the road and hit a tree stump, flipping the vehicle.

The UTV had minor damage, and the man was airlifted to University Hospital.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 37-year-old Hermann man was seriously injured Sunday in Gasconade County during a moped accident.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, at around 3 p.m., the man was driving a 2023 Honda Metropolitan Moped east on Black Forest Drive, just west of Missouri State Highway 100. The moped then lost control and flipped, throwing the man off the scooter.

The moped had minor damage and the man was not wearing a helmet. The man was taken to Mercy Hospital St. Louis by EMS.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Eastbound traffic near the 3000 block of Chapel Hill Road, just east of Chapel Ridge Road, was stalled after a car crash in southwest Columbia Sunday evening.

An ABC 17 News reporter on scene at around 7:20 p.m. saw a Grey Nissan Kicks turned west in the eastbound lane of Chapel Hill Road facing a silver Buick Lucerne turned east also in the eastbound lane. Both cars’ front bumpers were crumpled and the Nissan’s airbags were deployed.

Boone County Joint Communications also sent out a message at around 7 p.m. warning drivers of the scene and to use caution in the area.

An adult woman was seen being put in an ambulance and driven away from the scene; the ambulance’s lights were not on.

At least two Columbia Police Department vehicles, one Columbia Fire Department truck and a MU Health Care ambulance responded to the crash.

Both cars were later towed from the scene at around 7:40 p.m.

ABC 17 News has reached out to the CPD for details.

Check back for updates.

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Euphenie Andre

HERMANN, Mo. (KMIZ)

More than three years after a Hermann Police Sergeant was shot and killed in the line of duty, his community is working to ensure his legacy and other first responders’ lives on.

In June, a jury sentenced Kenneth Simpson to death after convicting him of first-degree murder in Sgt. Mason Griffith’s killing. Now, community members are shifting their focus from the courtroom to remembrance.

The Chief Mason Griffith Foundation hosted a fundraiser Sunday to help pay for a permanent mural honoring the fallen officer.

On March 12, 2023, investigators said Simpson shot Sgt. Mason Griffith and Officer Adam Sullentrop just 15 seconds apart at a Casey’s convenience store in Hermann.

Hermann Police Chief Marlon Walker recalls the night he will never forget.

“I was just sitting at home and got the phone call that shots had been fired, not knowing if my officers had been struck or not,” Walker said. “I responded here as fast as I could and walked in, seeing my officers being injured. So it was a very stressful night. “

Griffith was killed. Sullentrop survived but suffered life-threatening injuries that continue to affect him today.

“He was unfortunately shot in the head that night, so severe brain trauma that night,” Hermann Police Chief Marlon Walker said. “It’s changed his life forever. He won’t ever be the same and has to have 24-hour care and cannot be alone.”

Walker said Sullentrop has made significant progress since the shooting but continues to face lasting challenges.

Angela Koepke, the foundation’s daily operations manager, said the night was unforgettable.

“It’s a quiet little town, a close-knit community,” Koepke said. “I remember that night because I responded well, coming down the hill and just feeling that feeling, the sadness and all the lights flashing and everything. Since then, it’s still talked about daily.”

More than a month after Simpson received the death penalty, the foundation said it is now focused on creating a lasting tribute for the community.

The planned mural will cover a 3,000-square-foot wall and cost about $50,000, according to Angela Koepke, the foundation’s daily operations manager. About $40,000 will go toward the artwork, with another $10,000 covering lighting and other features.

The foundation hoped to raise about $23,000 during Sunday’s fundraiser to fully fund the project. Even if that goal isn’t met, organizers said the process will still move forward.

“I went out on faith, and I scheduled him to start in October,” Koepke said. “So that’s what we’re going to do.”

Casey’s is helping make the memorial possible.

The company has already donated $10,000 toward the project and matched donations made during Sunday’s fundraiser, up to an additional $5,000.

“To help kick-start it again, we committed to another dollar-for-dollar match, up to $5,000 for today’s event,” Casey’s General Manager Gary Anthony said.

Anthony said after the shooting, the Casey’s location temporarily closed, and the company provided support and resources to the employees who were working that night.

Artist Ray Harvey, who will paint the mural, said the project is expected to take about a month to complete, although weather could affect the timeline.

People interested in supporting the project can donate here.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. KMIZ

EDITORS NOTE: Day in title was corrected.

A man was injured after being shot Sunday in east Columbia near the I-70 connector.

Sgt. Patrick Corcoran told ABC 17 News that when police arrived on scene, they found a 26-year-old male victim at the Break Time with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The victim was later taken to a local hospital.

A CPD press release reports that shots were fired near the Highway 63 and I-70 connector and the 900 block of Conley Road.

Traffic was temporarily stalled westbound on the I-70 connector near the off-ramp due to a large police presence in east Columbia Sunday afternoon.

A Boone County Joint Communication was also sent at around noon alerting drivers of the scene.

“Inside left turn lane headed westbound on the Connector offramp closed due to police action. Choose alternate route,” according to Boone County Joint Communications.

Just south of the detour, an ABC 17 News reporter saw five Columbia Police Department cars at the Break Time in the 900 block of Conley Road. They also observed police putting up police tape at the Break Time at around 12:30 p.m.

The reporter also saw one police car and a black sedan parked on the connector, blocking the roadway. CPD confirmed the blockage was related to the shooting but did not say how.

Around 12:45 a Columbia Crime Scene Investigation Team arrived at the Break Time and started to survey the scene.

During that same time, an ABC 17 reporter saw officers searching the field and sidewalk near the intersection on Connely Road.

The reporter also saw investigators taking photos near the gas pumps and collecting evidence from the ground.

Investigators then entered the gas station, where they worked for about 20 minutes.

Around 3:30, investigators then took down the crime scene tape and completed a final walkthrough of the entire property.

Crime scene investigators left the scene around 3:45 p.m.

Police are still looking for possible suspects.

ABC 17 News has reached out to CPD for details.

This is an ongoing story.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The American Red Cross is facing its second-ever national blood shortage, according to a press release from the organization. Although some hospitals might be feeling the effects of the shortage, Boone Health in Columbia is not.

“Boone Health has a different supplier for blood products, it’s a regional supplier,” spokesperson Christian Basi said. “They informed us just earlier this week that they have a full supply of all the necessary blood products.”

Basi said the hospital has a “healthy” three-day supply of all blood types and is not affected by the shortage.

ABC 17 News has reached out to MU Health Care about how it affects their operations, but hasn’t heard back yet.

In a press release, American Red Cross Missouri-Arkansas spokesperson Jay Scherder said all blood types are needed, but type O is desperately needed, and supplies have dropped to a one-day supply.

Type O-negative can be given to anyone and is commonly used during emergencies when doctors or health care professionals aren’t sure what the patient’s blood type is, according to the Red Cross. Type O-positive isn’t universal, but people with positive blood types–like A-positive, B-positive, O-positive or AB-positive–can receive it.

Scherder said the American Red Cross is limiting the distribution of all type O to some hospitals.

Even though Boone Health isn’t affected by the shortage, Basi said it’s important people donate blood when they can.

“We still need folks to get out there and donate blood. It is critical. The community comes together to save lives, and they do that when they give blood,” Basi said.

People who are interested in donating blood can visit the American Red Cross website to schedule an appointment.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 42-year-old Centralia man was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash in Boone County Saturday.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash occurred at around 3:50 p.m. The man was driving a 2008 Harley-Davidson Dyna Street Bob northbound on Route U just south of Ricketts Road when a 55-year-old Hallsville man in a 2017 Ford Explorer made a left turn onto Route U, into the motorcycle’s path.

The Harley-Davidson tried to brake but ended up hitting the back of the Ford. The motorcyclist was then thrown off the Harley-Davidson, with the motorcycle ending up in a ditch on the east side of the road.

Both vehicles were totaled, and the motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet. He was later transported to University Hospital in an ambulance.

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