Category: kmiz-local-news

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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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The fallout from the ICE shooting that killed a woman in Minnesota continued Friday, as vigils were held across the country. The FBI has taken over the investigation, and state investigators in Minnesota have been blocked from accessing key evidence connected to the case.

A candlelight vigil for Renée Good and all other victims of ICE and anti-immigrant actions was held at 6 p.m. Friday at Peace Park on the University of Missouri’s campus.

The event was hosted by Mark Haim and Jeff Stack and is co-sponsored by a coalition of local groups, including Mid-Missouri Peaceworks, Mid-MO Fellowship of Reconciliation and 50501 Missouri, among other organizations.

Haim said the turnout showed how deeply the incident has affected people far beyond Minnesota.

“We are holding a candlelight vigil in honoring the memory of those who’ve lost their lives in the actions of Ice,” Haim said. “That includes, Ms. Good, but includes many of the people, working people, people who are living at the margins,”

Over a hundred people gathered at Peace Park for the start of the vigil.

Those assembled Friday honored Good’s memory and paid tribute to the many others who have been harmed by immigration officials. Attendees did a moments of silence and share brief talks to remember victims of immigration enforcement and anti-immigrant violence, and to call attention to the human cost of these operations.

Attendees at the vigil ranged from longtime activists to parents who brought their children to witness the moment. Columbia resident Kristen Finley said she believes it’s important to talk openly with her eight-year-old daughter about current events.

“The news that came out of Renée Good and then I saw multiple videos and pictures. One of the pictures that I saw was of her glove box and it had the same stuff as my daughter’s, and I think it’s time to stand up,” Finley said.

Some of the youngest attendees shared their own thoughts as well.

Fourth grade Sybil Crook, a student at Grant Elementary School, said she felt sad for families affected by immigration enforcement.

“I don’t think it’s fair to the kids and the parents who’s who are getting taken away. If they didn’t do anything,” she said.

Crook’s mother said she is the same age as Good, which made the tragedy feel even closer to home. She added that if it could happen to Good, it could happen to her.

Friday’s vigil comes after new video released shows Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross from a closer perspective in the moments leading up to the deadly shooting.

According to Trace, since Trump immigration raids, there have been 16 incidents in which ICE agents fired shots and 15 incidents in which ICE agents held someone at gunpoint.

Those incidents include people who were not targets of enforcement actions. At least 3 people have been shot while observing or documenting immigration raids, and 5 have been shot while driving away from traffic stops or evading an enforcement action.

Good was 1 of 4 people who have been killed during these incidents. Another 7 people have been injured.

On Sunday, Mid-Missouri Peaceworks plans to hold a rally at city hall opposing what it calls imperialism and calling attention to the situation in Venezuela, which organizers said is connected to broader concerns about U.S. foreign and immigration policy.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two people were charged with felonies in a Jefferson City shooting that occurred on Tuesday.

Dustee Mathis, 29, of Jefferson City, was charged with two counts of armed criminal action and two counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. An arraignment was held on Friday and Mathis pleaded not guilty by video from the Cole County Jail, where she is being held without bond.

Armion McCann, 25, of Jefferson City, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action, two counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and a single count of tampering with evidence. He also pleaded not guilty by video from the jail during a Friday afternoon arraignment/ He is also being held without bond.

A counsel status hearing for both people is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The probable cause statement says someone described as a witness had made a derogatory comment about Mathis, who was sitting in a vehicle in front of a residence, and an argument ensued. Mathis and McCann had left the area and came back.

A witness claimed Mathis was first holding a gun, but McCann ended up holding it, the statement says. One of the witnesses claimed McCann fired shots and that no one from the home fired any, court documents say.

McCann allegedly told officers that he fired the gun after someone at the house had used pepper spray and fired a shot, the statement says.

Video allegedly showed shots being fired after an argument, and police noted that shots could have been fired from two different guns, the statement says.

Police found 10 shell casings in the street near the home, along with another on the front porch, shattered glass from a door that was hit and a bullet hole in the living room wall, court documents say.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A court official has confirmed that the 17-year-old boy accused of firing shots on Saturday night inside Dick’s Sporting Goods has been charged with three felonies.

A Boone County juvenile court officer has not revealed the name of the youth accused in the shooting, but confirmed in an email that he is charged with unlawful use of a weapon, carjacking and armed criminal action.

Chief Juvenile Officer Angie Bezoni confirmed the charges were filed on Monday.

The next court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20. There is currently no hearing scheduled to certify the juvenile as an adult.

The Columbia teenager was later arrested by troopers in Pettis County after he was accused of firing shots inside Dick’s Sporting Goods at The Shoppes on Stadium and stealing a car before driving away on Interstate 70. He led troopers on a chase after troopers tried to initiate a traffic stop near Sedalia, previous reporting shows.

The juvenile was arrested after crashing the vehicle on Route V near Bahner Road, previous reporting shows.

No one was injured after shots were fired at Dick’s.

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