Category: kmiz-local-news

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

No one was hurt, but an onlooker said some cats were rescued from a fire at a north Columbia apartment building Friday.

Firefighters found a small fire in an empty apartment in the 2900 block of Northland Drive a little before 11 a.m. Friday, according to a Columbia Fire Department news release. The fire was quickly put out and the damage was limited to the apartment.

Residents got out before firefighters arrived thanks to smoke alarms, the release says. Six companies with 18 firefighters responded.

The cause was accidental from combustible items on a stove that was accidentally turned on, the release says.

An onlooker said firefighters pulled two cats from the building before ABC 17 News arrived.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A first-term member of the Columbia City Council is resigning, nearly two years before the term is up.

Second Ward Councilwoman Lisa Meyer said in her resignation letter that she was leaving to focus on her health and family. “When I ran and started serving, I had no idea what was ahead regarding my health,” Meyer wrote.

Her last day will be May 16.

During her campaign, Meyer said she wanted to serve as a bridge from residents whose voices might not be heard and City Hall.

Meyer has been open about surviving head and neck cancer after a diagnosis in 2009. Her letter did not reference any specific health condition.

Meyer won a three-way race for the seat in April 2024, taking 54% of the vote.

It was not immediately clear how or when the seat will be filled.

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Sen. Eric Schmitt says he will introduce legislation to enhance penalties for crimes against first responders after the stabbing death of a Kansas City paramedic.

Early Sunday, Kansas City firefighter-paramedic Graham Hoffman, 29, died in the line of duty after he was attacked while treating a patient. He was laid to rest Friday afternoon.

Shanetta Bossell’s charges include first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with Hoffman’s death, according to news station KMBC.

In a news release Friday, Schmitt said he will introduce legislation to increase federal penalties for those who murder first responders in the line of duty.

“First responders put their lives on the line each and every day to keep our communities safe. It’s time we stand up to ensure they are protected from those who wish to do them harm. This legislation, in honor of Graham, will help ensure our nation does just that,” Schmitt said.

Cole County EMS Chief Eric Hoy says their staff are required to complete four hours of operations/safety continuing education every two years to maintain their National Certification.

Staff are trained on physical restraint but it is a last rector to protect from harm.

“Our personnel are trained to administer medication to facilitate patient care on patient care on patients who present a direct harm to themselves or others,” Hoy said.

However, if a scene becomes unsafe Cole County EMS is trained to retreat from the area and await law enforcement to secure the scene.

“We’re reliant on our law enforcement partners and having really good communication, working with them closely to make sure any hazards are removed before people are put into the ambulance,” Hoy said.

A possible violent interaction with a patient can be hard to prepare for. Cole County Paramedic Dirk Protzmam has been with Cole County EMS said it comes down to paying attention to the signs.

“A lot of though experience, noticing people’s behaviors and mannerisms, if they won’t allow you to check in certain areas where typical weapons could be held thats a defiant indicator,” Protzmam said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control in 2020 ,16,900 EMS workers were treated for injuries on the job, with 3,000 due to violence.

“Sometimes that violence is driven from a mental illness or something a patient doesn’t have control over while we always welcome stiffer penalties and protections for out first responders, it also highlights the need for appropriate mental health services in our communities as well,” Hoy said.

Cole County EMS are issued ballistic vests, they are required to utilize them whenever responding to a call involving a weapon, However, they do not wear them for routine operations.

Staff are also not allowed to carry a weapon. .

Gov. Mike Kehoe ordered the Capitol dome and the Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial to shine blue at sunset on Friday and continue until sunrise on Sunday.

“The Missouri Capitol dome will shine blue this weekend as we honor and remember the law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice,” Kehoe said. “It takes great courage, strength, and commitment for law enforcement officers to put on their uniform each day knowing that their duty requires them to run toward the dangers that others flee. We have a responsibility to honor the fallen and ensure they are never forgotten.”

Annual ceremonies honoring fallen Missouri law enforcement officers will be held at the Missouri Law Enforcement Officers memorial on the north side of the Capitol.

A candlelight vigil will be held on Friday, and a memorial service will take place on Saturday.

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Madison Stuerman

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to clarify that one deputy fired shots, and the suspect was not hurt

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two Pettis County deputies were shot while serving a search warrant early Friday morning.

According to Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop A, the deputies were trying to serve a search warrant related to a drug investigation at a house in the 27000 block of Route BB.

James Joseph Elsea, 62, was charged in the Missouri Western District Court with being a felon with a gun.

The complaint states that a SWAT team served a “no-knock” warrant at 5:43 a.m. in the 27000 block of Route BB. The warrant was issued in relation to possible meth trafficking. The complaint says Elsea is “known to be armed.”

The SWAT team began cutting into the door when Elsea fired four shots, the complaint says.

One deputy was hit above their knee and the other was shot near their calf. At least one SWAT member returned fire, the complaint says.

Elsea then allegedly called EMS stating that he shot someone, the complaint says. Law enforcement eventually took Elsea and brought him to the Pettis County Jail, court documents say.

One of the injured SWAT members was brought to University Hospital with a shattered femur and was sent to surgery. The other was brought to Bothwell Hospital and was eventually released, the statement says. The identities of the injured SWAT members have not been stated.

A loaded handgun was found in the residence.

MSHP said a suspect started firing a gun, resulting in two deputies being shot. One deputy fired shots, but the suspect was not hurt.

The two deputies were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. One was released before 9:30 a.m., while the other was still receiving care, according to troopers.

Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control was requested to investigate the shooting.

Other area law enforcement agencies were helping with the raid as part of two drug task forces. The East Central Drug Task Force initiated the investigation, according to a Facebook post by the Audrain County Sheriff’s Office.

Pettis County R-V School District shared on Facebook at 6:51 a.m. that due to the police activity, both schools were under a soft lockdown as a precaution.

The district also said buses were not able to pick students up in that area.

Check back for updates.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

University of Missouri international student State says he lives in a constant state of fear.

Stand Up 4 Students coalition staged a walk-out in front of Jesse Hall to protest, as many international students across the country fear getting their legal status revoked. At least 100 people gathered on the north side of Jesse Hall at 2:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon.

“Me and my girlfriend, we are always scared,” he said. “I feel like I have zero control in my life. Tomorrow my life can change. Tomorrow I can find myself deported.”

State — who wished to be identified by just that name — says his worries have only grown since President Donald Trump took office in January. Thousands of foreign students have had their visas revoked at the hands of the Trump Administration, including five on MU’s campus.

According to university spokesman Christopher Ave, all five of those students have had them reinstated. But for some students like State–who is from Egypt– still say the chance of being deported is a constant, overwhelming thought.

“Sometimes that makes you kind of go through destructive stuff. Like first of all, you procrastinate and you play a lot of games. You’re trying to distract your mind,” State said.

Students also protested the university’s compliance with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency and Anti-Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility policies.

Students chanted the words “Say it once, say it twice, we will not put up with ICE,” demanding the university take into consideration their concerns.

The Stand Up 4 Students coalition has a list of demands for the University of Missouri that includes:

Protect the freedom of speech of students, specifically students with visas, by refusing to report and/or punish students on the basis of criticism of the United States and its allies.

Respect the autonomy of student organizations by refraining from academically, financially, or otherwise punishing student organizations for events promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Ensure that there is no compliance or assistance with Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigations and searches, unless otherwise required by law.

Pursue recruitment policies and scholarship opportunities that actively seek out Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, and

Provide legal support and a pathway to degree completion for students whose visas are cancelled.

In a statement sent to ABC 17 News Friday afternoon, MU spokesman Christopher Ave said the university is committed to freedom of speech.

“University policies regarding compliance with law enforcement investigations were implemented to provide clear guidance to university employees should they be approached by someone from a law enforcement agency,” the statement reads. “Any notion that employees should attempt to impede law enforcement officials is untenable and could put our employees at risk of physical confrontation or arrest.”

Ian De Smet attended Friday’s protest. De Smet said he was born in Kansas, but grew up in Chile before coming back to the U.S. to attend college. He stood outside Jesse Hall on MU’S campus Friday with tears in his eyes as he spoke about the discomfort he says it brings him to know what others are enduring.

“As much as I hold that passport and that social security number, like at heart I’m Chilean… as much as it might feel overwhelming, we need to take a stand against that,” De Smet said.

Friday’s protest took a turn when the president of the College of Republicans showed up.

He stood in a yellow shirt, wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat and carrying a yellow, black and white flag reading “College of Republicans.” His appearance drew attention from protesters immediately, with some yelling at him to leave. He claimed he only wanted to speak with protesters.

Protester Piper Molins was seen trying to calm the crowd down, telling people to pay attention to the person who was giving their testimonial at the time, rather than him.

“It’s disturbing, it’s frustrated to be interrupted, however he does have the same right to free speech,” Molins said to ABC 17 News after the protest.

According to Ave, the university will also abide by a 2023 supreme court decision to eliminate race-based recruitment and scholarships.

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Matthew Sanders

While it wasn’t unexpected, it did come at an odd time — long after the Signal chat story broke, the man who took responsibility is out as national security adviser.

Former congressman Mike Waltz will instead be President Donald Trump’s next nominee for UN ambassador. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will add interim national security adviser to his already substantial list of jobs.

Other Trump cabinet members are facing heat, such as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Do you think any of them should be fired or shuffled to different positions? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Kehoe on Thursday requested that President Donald Trump approve a major disaster declaration to give federal assistance to 26 Missouri counties impacted by storm damage and flooding, a press release says.

Kehoe is requesting federal assistance during the period from March 30-April 8, the release says. Eighteen of those counties were included in the federal disaster declaration request made by Kehoe on April 2.

FEMA individual assistance is requested for Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Cooper, Dunklin, Howell, Iron, Mississippi, New Madrid, Oregon, Ozark, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, Shannon, Stoddard, Vernon, Washington and Wayne counties.

Public assistance is requested for Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Cooper, Douglas, Dunklin, Howell, Iron, Madison, Maries, Mississippi, New Madrid, Oregon, Ozark, Pemiscot, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, Shannon, Stoddard, Texas, Vernon, Wayne and Webster counties.

Individual assistance allows eligible residents to seek federal assistance for temporary housing, housing repairs, replacing damage belongs and vehicles and other expenses. Public assistance would local governments and nonprofits to see federal assistance for reimbursement of emergency response-and-recovery costs, including repairs and replacements to public infrastructure.

Joint damage assessments done by FEMA, SEMA, the US Small Business Administration and local officials estimated more than $25.5 million occurred in emergency response costs and damage to public infrastructure.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

More than 1,200 Ameren customers in Boone County have power back after an outage was reported on Thursday evening.

An Ameren spokesperson told ABC 17 News in an email that the outage was caused by “a power line issue which feeds a substation in Hallsville.” Crews are currently working on restoring power.

Boone County Joint Communications sent a notification at 7:10 p.m. stating that 868 customers in Hallsville were without power.

The outage was expected to be restored by 1 a.m. Friday, according to the notification and a posting on Ameren’s outage map. The outage was first reported at 6:50 p.m.

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

ABC 17 News premiered its new studio during its 5 p.m. newscast on Thursday.

The studio is located at the same building. It took roughly a month to deconstruct the old studio and build the new one.

A larger weather center and enhanced equipment are features of the new set.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Former Sedalia Councilman Tom Oldham has been removed from a nonprofit’s board of directors.

Sedalia Citizens Against Spouse Abuse announced in a Thursday social media post that it terminated Oldham’s board membership.

Oldham stepped down from his position last week after “serious allegations” were brought against him, the City of Sedalia wrote in a social media post. The city did not elaborate on the allegations in the post or in communications with ABC 17 News.

Pettis County Sheriff Brad Anders told ABC 17 News in emails that his office is investigating Oldham. The criminal investigation includes the possible sexual harassment of a youth.

Anders wrote last week that the investigation “involves the extraction of data from electronic devices,” so there is no timeline for when possible charges could be filed. Charges have yet to appear on Casenet.

“Like many, we are saddened to learn of these allegations and the effects it has had on several of our community members. It can be shocking or alarming to learn of the abuse perpetrated by individuals in positions of power. However, our knowledge and awareness of these atrocities is attributed first and foremost to the courageous survivors who have come forward to report the abuse to friends, family, colleagues, and/or authorities. It is their bravery that inspires everyone at CASA to continue providing life-changing, life-saving, confidential services,” CASA wrote in its statement.

“For 42 years, we have been committed to our mission to empower victims of domestic and sexual violence to regain control of their lives through education, advocacy, and coordination of community resources. We remain committed to this mission and have always and will always stand with survivors. If you or someone you know is suffering from abuse, please contact CASA. We are here to help and WE BELIEVE YOU!”

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