Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man who was underage at the time of a shooting and alleged carjacking earlier this year has been certified as an adult in the case.

Darius Lamb, 18, was certified as an adult on Thursday during a hearing in the juvenile court. He is now charged with two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of armed criminal action, one count of carjacking and first-degree property damage. His next court date in that case has not been set.

He was already charged as an adult in a case where he was charged with fourth-degree assault in March. He is listed on the Boone County Jail’s online roster.

Previous reporting shows Lamb was charged in juvenile court earlier this year with unlawful use of a weapon, carjacking and armed criminal action after he was accused of firing shots inside the Columbia store on Jan. 4. Lamb was 17 at the time.

Lamb was then accused of stealing a car at the scene and was arrested by troopers in Pettis County. 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 injuries were reported in the shooting.

The probable cause statement says that Lamb allegedly fired a gun in the store and stole someone’s vehicle at gunpoint.

One of the employees allegedly told police that three males walked into the bathroom of the store while wearing ski masks, the statement says. The employee also claimed to have smelled weed coming from the bathroom. The employee then heard about four or five gunshots after the males walked out of the bathroom.

That employee “grabbed two customers and then ran to the back of the store,” the statement says.

Police noted finding 10 shell casings in the middle of the store and bullet holes on the western wall. Different brands of shell casings were described by police.

“I did not observe any other damage anywhere else in the store, leading me to believe that the shooter was not also being assaulted,” the officer wrote.

The officer wrote that video showed Lamb walking into the store with “another unknown male” and fourth other males walking into the store. The statement alleges that roughly $900 worth of damage was done to the store.

When Lamb was arrested by troopers in Pettis County, law enforcement allegedly found a .40 caliber gun.

“Inside the magazine I observed several rounds to be missing as if they were discharged from the firearm. I observed several different brands of 40 caliber ammunition inside the magazine consistent with the different brands of shell casings that were located inside Dick Sporting Goods,” the statement says.

In his assault case from March, court documents say he assaulted a victim on March 3 while in custody at the juvenile center. A case review is scheduled in that case for 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 30.

He also pleaded guilty on Jan. 21 to driving without a license, a misdemeanor, and was ordered to pay a fine.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, MO. (KMIZ)

The FIFA World Cup is about two weeks away, and Kansas City is preparing public transit for hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the world, the nation and Missouri.

KC2026 is the nonprofit that is planning events and preparing Kansas City to host the World Cup, which has matches from June 11 through July 11 with semifinals and finals in the latter half of July.

Kansas City will host free watch parties for most matches at the National WWI Museum and Memorial, located at 2 Memorial Drive. People who want to attend Fan Fest must reserve tickets on the KC2026 website.

For those traveling to Kansas City from Mid-Missouri, there are several park-and-ride options available through ConnectKC26 to get to and from surrounding areas like the Kansas City International Airport, Lee’s Summit, Liberty, and attractions such as the Kansas City Zoo and Oak Park Mall for a daily rate.

“We want to make it easy. We want to make it affordable, and we’re definitely looking forward to welcoming visitors, but we also want people here to engage, to participate, to celebrate and to be a part of the World Cup,” Pam Kramer, KC2026 CEO, said during an online call with reporters Thursday.

The World Cup is expected to bring more than 650,000 people to Kansas City, according to a press release from KC2026. It’s also anticipated to generate over $650 million in the local economy.

Cities in Mid-Missouri also hope to cash in on the World Cup. Columbia has started a campaign to attract World Cup-related visitors to the city.

Kramer said safety is a top priority, and KC2026 has a large regional team that has been planning for the past two years in anticipation of the World Cup. The team has more than 50 agencies and has been working with the local Kansas City Police Department, along with state and federal departments.

“I’m very proud of the region and the way that they’ve come together. We are very unique as a host city in that we have a state line running down the middle of our host city,” Kramer said. “So, there’s much cross-jurisdiction, collaboration and support.”

With hantavirus and Ebola virus flare-ups, Kramer said there’s a medical committee that is monitoring infectious diseases.

“There are plans in place for all of that, and a large part of that is communication, and making sure that we’re passing along that information,” Kramer said. “We’ve been working with embassies to communicate to folks before they arrive. So I feel really good about the plans we have in place.”

Earlier this month, three people from Kansas were being monitored after having high-risk exposure to a person who was infected with Andes hantavirus, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A spot on eastbound Interstate 70 that has caused road crews repeated issues will require emergency repair again Thursday afternoon, the Missouri Department of Transportation said in a news release.

The right lane of eastbound I-70 will be closed near mile marker 131 at St. Charles Road starting at 5 p.m. Thursday and continuing into early Friday morning, MoDOT stated. Drivers are asked to avoid the area during the emergency repairs.

The frequent closures, including one earlier this month, stretch back to last year. MoDOT has said excess moisture is causing the repeated issues.

The stretch of road is also part of the Improve I-70 project to widen Interstate 70 across the state.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

American and Iranian negotiators appear to have given tentative agreement to a draft proposal to extend the ceasefire between the two countries and open the Strait of Hormuz, according to ABC News.

President Donald Trump and Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei were yet to give their approval to the deal early Thursday afternoon.

The two countries have traded peace proposals for weeks, sometimes rejecting them in the late stages of negotiations, ABC News reported. Two U.S. officials cited by ABC News say the Trump administration worries about the Iranian regime’s ability to come together behind an agreement, but that high-level Iranian officials have indicated the regime can accept the current terms, ABC News reported.

The draft includes a pledge that Iran will not pursue a nuclear weapon, and that it will fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 60 days, ABC News reported.

Nuclear issues would be negotiated after the agreement is in place.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Mexico, Missouri, man was sentenced to prison Wednesday in connection with a November 2024 shooting that injured multiple people in downtown Columbia.

Frank Gray IV, 27, was sentenced to seven years in prison for being a felon with a gun, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. A federal grand jury indicted Gray in December 2024 for having a .45-caliber Glock handgun, according to court documents.

He pleaded guilty in June 2025.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Gray was in downtown Columbia in the early morning on Nov. 10, 2024, when he pulled out a weapon and fired shots at another person, who was also armed. Two bystanders and several vehicles were hit by bullets.

Gray was on federal parole when the incident occurred, the release states. His sentence includes three years of supervised release after his prison term is up.

Another suspect, Deandre Denny, was sentenced to 12 years in state prison earlier this month. Denny was identified as one of the shooters by surveillance video, court documents state. He was shot in his legs and his foot and went to St. Mary’s Hospital by private vehicle.

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Gabrielle Teiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 33-year-old Jamestown man was seriously hurt in a crash in Moniteau County at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, an 18-year-old Jefferson City man was driving a 2022 Chevrolet Equinox west on Highway 50 at the connector when he attempted to cross the road.

The 18-year-old hit a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by a 33-year-old man from Jamestown on the passenger side.

The 33-year-old was taken to University Hospital by ambulance with serious injuries.

The report states the Jefferson City man was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital by ambulance with minor injuries.

Both cars were totaled, according to the report. Both men were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A juvenile who was arrested in connection with a shooting at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Columbia is set to be in the Boone County Courthouse for an adult certification hearing Thursday afternoon.

The certification hearing will take place at 2 p.m. The juvenile had a hearing last week, but the court delayed its decision on adult charges until Thursday.

In January, CPD responded to Dick’s Sporting Goods for reports of shots fired inside the store. No injuries were reported at the scene.

The suspect later ran away, stole a car and drove away on Interstate 70. A 17-year-old Columbia teen was arrested later that night after a chase near Sedalia.

The teen was arrested on suspicion of three counts of first-degree assault, one count of first-degree property damage, vehicle hijacking, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, and two counts of armed criminal action.

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Matthew Sanders

There’s been lots of talk since last year about Missouri’s congressional map and which version is in effect.

Republicans insist the current map is the “Missouri First” map approved last year during a special session by the Missouri General Assembly. That map splits up the Fifth District, which currently covers Kansas City, effectively taking out a safe Democratic seat amid a national bipartisan scramble to carve out an advantage in the House.

One major change comes in Boone County, which was split between the Third and Fourth districts after the 2020 census. The new map splits it between the Third and the Fifth along a different line. Residents of several other Mid-Missouri counties will also switch districts.

The new map is being challenged by an initiative petition drive. Thus far, opponents have not won the battle over the map in courts.

Do you know which district you’re voting in for the August primary? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) 

Despite the Columbia Police Department’s 2025  annual report showing violent crime trending downward for a fourth year in a row, Police Chief Jill Schlude said she isn’t taking a victory lap. 

CPD recently rolled out a new data dashboard, which forced the department to go back and clean up some of its 2024 data. According to Schlude, after cleaning up the 2024 data, CPD found that some categories of crime reported in previous years were not classified properly.  

“In my mind, anything prior to 2024, I don’t have a high degree of certainty about that data. So while it’s great and I’d love to celebrate that violent crime is down, I’m not saying that it’s not, but I think based on the cleanup we did to 2024, there is the possibility that there are crimes that are overreported, ” Schlude said. “We had to go back and fix all that data. I think it’s great to look at. I think once we have 26 under our belt, we’ll have a good, solid three years of data, and that will give us a better idea about trends.” 

CPD reported 470 violent crimes in 2025, six fewer than in 2024. 

CPD defined violent crime as a criminal act that involves a force or threat of force against a person. It may consist of murder or manslaughter, robbery, aggravated assault or rape. The department counts one crime for each victim.

Of the 853 people arrested for violent crimes, 197 were younger than 17. Juveniles between the ages of 10-17 accounted for 22% of all violent crime arrests, the second-highest total of any age group behind those ages 25 to 34, who accounted for 156 arrests.

Schlude says the numbers represent a growing nationwide trend. 

“Every police chief group that I’m in is talking about this exact problem.  Where that stems from, I think if someone knew or could solve that problem, they’d probably be very profitable. But I think trying to focus on what the causes are of that and then, frankly, how do we hold younger offenders accountable,” Schulde said. “There have been some changes in the state law this year that the governor signed off on in the public safety omnibus bill that will change how some juvenile cases are handled, how they can get adjudicated as adults.”

Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson told ABC 17 News in a statement that while his office hasn’t noticed more juvenile referrals, his office has seen “a lot of violent crime being committed in the younger than-25 years old age demographic. 

Thompson added the public safety bill Schlude referenced would allow county prosecutors to become involved in juvenile crime cases earlier in the process, giving them more opportunity to provide input.

In 2024, there were 52 reported victims of sexual assault. In 2025, that number dropped to 48, the lowest of the last four years. 

However, CPD’s 2025 annual report also showed that children ages 10-17 were the most commonly reported victims of sexual assault. Of the 44 reported sexual assault victims, 12 were between the ages of 10-17. 

“It’s always important to frame when you look at these numbers that this is reported crime. So that’s why I’m always cautious about over celebrating what looks like success or under celebrating because that’s a really hard thing,” Schlude said. “In my mind, with sexual assault crimes and domestic violence crimes, if we’re doing our job, more people, more victims are going to come forward. There’s no doubt in both of those categories those crimes are underreported. So when we get increases in them, I do attribute some of that to a great partnership with True North, Rainbow House Places like that who support  those investigations.” 

Reports of domestic violence in Columbia were higher than average in 2025. True North of Columbia Executive Director Michele Snodderley said the organization has already seen a rapid increase in services provided this year. However, like Schlude, Snodderley believes part of that increase may be tied to victims feeling less afraid to come forward and seek help.

“I don’t know if we’re seeing an increase in domestic violence or if we’re seeing an increase in our services because we’re removing that stigma,” Snodderly said. “We’ve been increasing our prevention and education, we’ve been increasing community outreach and awareness, so I’m hoping some of that is just because we are seeing people reaching out and they’re not scared to do so anymore.”

One area that Schlude praised was CPD’s homicide clearance rate. In 2025, the Criminal Investigations division held a 100% clearance rate for homicides. As of 2024, the national average for homicide clearance rates is 61%. In 2025, there were four murders involving guns. 

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ABC 17 News Team

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A fugitive from Poland who was wanted for fraud was arrested on May 19 at Fort Leonard Wood, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

Marcin Pióro, 46, has a hearing scheduled for Thursday.

The press release from the DOJ alleges that Pióro is the CEO of a financial services platform in Poland and was wanted by Polish authorities “for large-scale fraud and money laundering offenses tied to losses exceeding approximately 125 million PLN (over $30 million USD), with subsequent reporting indicating losses may exceed 150 million PLN.”

The release says Pióro joined the Army to receive a naturalization sponsorship.  We as arrested while he was participating in a military training exercise, the release says.

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