Category: kmiz-local-news

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Florida man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Monday for shooting a man in the face at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Columbia.

Alexis Gonzalez, 38, of Orlando, was convicted in March of second-degree assault and armed criminal action in the Aug. 17, 2024, shooting of Gary Bitsicas at the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant on Nifong Boulevard in Columbia.

Prosecutors originally charged Gonzalez with first-degree assault, which has a maximum sentence of 30 years. The jury convicted him instead of the lesser offense of second-degree assault. Judge Stephanie Morrell went with the jury’s recommendation of sentencing Gonzalez to seven years for the assault charge and eight years for armed criminal action.

The sentences will be served back-to-back, for a total of 15 years.

The state argued that Gonzalez went back into a restaurant with a gun and the intention to harm Bitsicas after an argument outside over a bar tab. Gonzalez claimed he was acting in self-defense and in defense of his girlfriend. Gonzalez expressed his regret one final time on the stand as jurors considered their recommendations.

His defense lawyer said at Monday’s sentencing hearing that Gonzalez accepts his responsibility for the shooting. But the state said his argument of self-defense proved that he didn’t accept culpability for the shooting.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County Presiding Commissioner Kip Kendrick announced Monday afternoon on X that service has been restored to Boone County Joint Communications services.

Lumen has restored service. BCJC should be receiving calls without issue again. https://t.co/CMGuZYFQEA

— Kip Kendrick (@Kip_Kendrick) May 4, 2026

BCJC services were disrupted early Monday after a fiber line was cut at around 3 a.m.

Fiber owner Lumen said the problem was apparently “caused by vandals” and crews were working to fix the problem, though a restoration time was not available.

The Jefferson City Police Department tells ABC 17 News they have not heard reports of the damage being found in Jefferson City.

BCJC Director Christie Davis said over email that the issue was reported as a Lumen Technology fiber cable was cut, affecting all emergency, non-emergency and outgoing calls from Joint Communications.

Davis reports that the outage occurred in Jefferson City, with JCPD lines being affected. She adds that BCJC works with JCPD during technical issues.

“During those incidents, we deploy emergency telecommunicators to their location to take the calls and coordinate with employees in our communications center for dispatching services,” Davis said. “However, this also impacted Jefferson City and several agencies and departments within Boone County. Therefore, there are limited contingency capabilities in this incident.”

During the outage, BCJC operators were notified of dropped calls and called residents back.

“If there was an incident where the call did not come in, we were making outbound calls on our supervisor’s phone to make sure that we were getting in contact with those individuals to get them the assistance that they needed,” Davis said. “There were no calls that should have went unanswered.”

Jefferson City Public Information Coordinator Molly Bryan said that 911 operations were not affected by the outage, but administrative phone lines were down.

A Public Safety Alert was issued stating that Boone County 911 was experiencing complications early Monday morning.

“We do not currently have an estimated resolution timeframe, but we were notified that a crew is on site and conducting further testing to isolate the exact point of failure to begin the repairs,” Davis stated in an email.

The Columbia Police Department asked anyone with emergencies to call 911 on Monday, even though 911 phone lines were down.

CPD spokesman Colin Imhoff said the department still wants people with emergencies to call 911 because dispatchers are tracking incoming calls and calling those people back. Anyone needing non-emergency services is encouraged to go to their local law enforcement office.

A news release from the Boone County Office of Emergency Management said the outage is also affecting some hospitals and public safety agencies. Boone Health spokesperson Christian Basi told ABC 17 News in an email that phones appeared to be working at the hospital Monday morning.

MU Health Care said on Facebook some of its clinics are experiencing “intermittent phone issues.” The hospital system said its main hospital line is not affected.

The alert was sent around 4:30 a.m. Monday. The alert states that if your first call to 911 does not work, hang up and immediately call again.

The alert also said that 311 is not working.

MUPD issued an alert at 7:27 a.m. stating it was also experiencing issues.

Davis adds that BCJC is currently updating their operating system with AT&T ESInet. The upgrade is expected to be completed in the summer and will feature a backup plan in place for fiber-optic outages.

“The previous incidents that we’ve had where we had a single point of failure between here and Jeff City,  those incidents will be less frequent if not at all,” Davis said.

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia City Council is heading into its Monday meeting with a major decision on the table following the upcoming resignation of Ward 4 Council Member Nick Foster.

Foster announced Thursday that he plans to step down this summer, citing family matters. His final day in office is set for June 12. Foster was re-elected to the position last year. He has served on the council since 2022.

“My family is moving,” Foster said. “My wife has taken a position as dean of the College of Education and Human Development at George State University in Atlanta.”

Foster said leaving Columbia was not on his mind during last year’s election, but the possibility of a move became more certain in recent months.

As he prepares to step down, Foster reflected on his years serving a city he has called home for more than a decade.

“We’re sad to leave Columbia. This is home for us,” Foster said. “We’ve lived here for 16 years and that’s the longest period of time I’ve ever lived in one place.”

Former Ward 5 Council Member Don Waterman, who worked alongside Foster for three years, said it was a pleasure to serve with him and praised his dedication to the city.

“His heart, his compassion and his thoughtfulness. You know, he always had great thoughts. Especially in council comments at the end,” Waterman said.

With Foster’s departure, the council must now determine how and when to fill the vacant seat.

According to the Municipal Code, once the position is officially vacant, council members can nominate one or more candidates during a regular or special meeting. The council will then vote and the candidate who receives a majority vote will be appointed to the role.

However, City Attorney Nancy Thompson said because more than a year remains in Foster’s term, the city is required to hold a special election rather than appoint a replacement.

City staff have prepared a potential memo and draft proposal suggesting a possible election date of August 4. However, the proposal has not yet been formally introduced or placed on the council agenda.

Don Waterman said the process needs to move quickly to meet deadlines.

“She [Mayor Barbara Buffaloe] would need to introduce it there so that they could vote on it. The second meeting in May, which is essentially their deadline for getting it on the August ballot,” Waterman said.

Council members will need to decide Monday night whether to amend the agenda to include discussion of the proposed special election.

Once scheduled, voters will elect a replacement to serve the remainder of Foster’s term, which runs through April 2028.

Foster said he hopes the next council member shares a commitment to serving the entire community.

“I hope would share some of the same ideals that I do. That is a concern for all of the city, a concern especially for those who are marginalized still on our city and who are interested in meeting the needs that those folks have,” Foster said.

Foster added he hopes to leave the city with a message of perspective and pride.

“I really hope that people in this town will remember how great a place this is to live,” Foster said. “It’s easy to recognize all the challenges that we have and you want to face those, you want to address those and I think the city is doing that.”

Foster added that he plans to stay engaged in issues he cares about, including housing, homelessness and infrastructure.

Monday’s meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Columbia City Hall.

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Alison Patton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The political action committee Respect Missouri Voters submitted 362,000 signatures to the Missouri Secretary of State on Sunday for an initiative petition that would require Secretary Denny Hoskins to write clear and unbiased ballot language.

The group advocates that this amendment will make it harder for politicians to undo what Missouri voters have already approved. It would also require Hoskins to write clear, unbiased, fair, accurate and easily understood language.

“I think most voters in Missouri recognize that they’ve walked into a ballot box in the past and seen misleading language on their ballot, and people are frustrated by that,” spokesperson Kate Catania said.

Earlier this year, Hoskins admitted to writing biased ballot language for a referendum that would put the new congressional district on the November ballot.

Respect Missouri Voters needs signatures from 8% of registered voters in six out of the eight congressional districts. Hoskins has until Aug. 4, to certify the signatures, and then it will appear on the November ballot.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gas prices have continued to rise since the start of the war with Iran and Missouri is nearing an average cost of $4 per gallon.

According to AAA, Missouri currently averages $3.97 per gallon, which is over 30 cents more than last week.

Colton Cochran, a freshman at the University of Missouri, said he spends about $200 a month on gas, which includes his frequent trips home to St. Louis.

“For a college student, [that] kind of hits a little bit here and there,” Cochran said. “Definetly makes me stay here a little bit longer, rather than go back home.”

The Bureau of Economic Analysis released its March report Thursday. The report shows people are spending more of their money on gas, and consumer spending also increased by $195.4 billion.

Federal officials urge that there will be relief once the Strait of Hormuz reopens.

However, some people are worried the increased gas prices will cause other items to become more expensive.

“We are all affected by gas prices, even if we don’t realize it. That’s one of the many things contributing to the everything being more expensive now,” said Ada Groharing, a Columbia resident.

Drivers aren’t the only ones affected, though.

Spirit Airlines announced Friday that it was canceling all of its flights and “has started an orderly wind down of operations, effective immediately.”

The sudden cancellations left some flyers at the Kansas City International Airport without a flight. Spirit doesn’t fly out of the St. Louis Lambert International Airport or the Columbia Regional Airport.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Police confirmed shots were fired on Sylvan Lane near Hendrix road in Northeast Columbia around 6 p.m. Sunday.

CPD officer Nathan Turner said at the scene that investigators found evidence of gunshots, but no one was reported to have been hurt. No damages were reported either.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw police taking down crime scene tape shortly before 6:45 p.m. About 6 police cars were still in the neighborhood at that time.

Turner said police have no suspect descriptions at this time.

Check back for further updates.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Saint Charles woman was seriously hurt in Morgan County after being hit by an SUV on Saturday.

The crash occurred at around 6:30 p.m. near 28404 Holt Road, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol Crash report.

A 47-year-old Saint Charles woman was driving a 2021 Volkswagen Atlas east, uphill. The report says a 40-year-old Saint Charles woman was behind the car, helping push it. The driver of the Volkswagen then put the car in reverse and hit the woman.

The 40-year-old was airlifted to University Hospital. The driver had no reported injuries, and the car had minor damage.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two men were seriously hurt in a Callaway County crash Saturday evening.

The crash occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on Old Highway 54, just north of Proper Tee Drive, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.

A 38-year-old Fulton man was driving a 1995 Chevy Silverado south when he crossed over the center line while going around a curve and went off the left side of the road, the report says. When he returned to the road, the right side of his truck hit the right side of a northbound 2014 Ford Focus driven by a 38-year-old Fulton woman.

The vehicles then hit each other again as the Chevy flipped. The Chevy driver was taken by ambulance to University Hospital with serious injuries. The report says he was not wearing a seatbelt.

A 39-year-old New Bloomfield man was a passenger in the Ford and was seriously injured. He was taken by ambulance to the Capital Region Medical Center. He was wearing a seatbelt, according to the report. The Ford driver was not reported to have been hurt.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia residents are invited to comment on a more than $2 million project aimed at improving the stormwater infrastructure in a Ward 4 neighborhood.

Council Memo (1)Download

According to meeting documents, the city is looking to replace and restore around 890 linear feet of stormwater pipes and 12 stormwater structures. The estimated total cost of the project is $2,150,000, covered by the city’s Stormwater Utility funds.

If approved, the project will mainly take place along the South Fairview Road and nearby residential streets. According to project documents, the city plans to restore and remove existing pipes and structures on South Fairview Road. They will also add new pipes and structures to Highland Drive and Braemore Road.

The city has also proposed adding a curb bump-out at the intersection of South Fairview Road and Summit Drive to help improve a nearby stormwater inlet. This will narrow the width of the road at the intersection.

Project GraphicDownload

According to city documents, the current stormwater system in the area was built in the 1970s. There are reportedly issues with street, yard and structure flooding in the area.

The city also reports reaching out to 30 residents of the area to invite them to an Interested Parties Meeting at City Hall on April 15 last year. Four residents attended and two sent emails to the city. All respondents voiced support for the project and issues with drainage in the area.

The Columbia City Council meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in City Hall on Monday.

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Alison Patton

FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ)

After a deadly car-pedestrian crash Friday afternoon, the Fulton Police Department doesn’t plan to refer charges to the Callaway County prosecutor’s office.

Major Dall Hedges told ABC 17 News on Saturday that he couldn’t publicly share why. However, FPD is working to finalize an incident report that can be requested.

According to an FPD social media post, the crash happened in the 300 block of Mokane Road, where a car struck a pedestrian. The driver didn’t have injuries, but the pedestrian was transported to a Columbia hospital and later died from their injuries.

Mokane Road has a speed limit of 40 miles per hour that dips down to 30 miles per hour. The road has no sidewalks and very narrow shoulders. An ABC 17 News reporter saw that the section of road where the crash happened was narrow and lined with trees on both sides.

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