Category: kmiz-local-news

Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Sheridan Beardshear was closing her store on the west side of Columbia as usual around 7 p.m. Saturday night.

She did the normal closing procedures in the back of the store, when she heard what she originally believed was a car backfiring. She walked outside of the store and was greeted by a barrage of police vehicles, sirens and fire trucks and quickly realized what she was seeing was bigger than what she thought.

“I thought it was a demonstration or some kind of coordinated event because there was so many of them,” Beardshear said.

Beardshear works at Buff City Soap at The Shoppes on Stadium, which is about a three-minute walk from Dick’s Sporting Goods. The store was the scene of a massive police response on Saturday night when someone allegedly fired a gun inside the store.

A 17-year-old boy was eventually arrested by state troopers 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, in connection with the incident.

The Columbia Police Department said the teenager ran away, stole a vehicle and drove away onto Interstate 70 after firing the gun. CPD spokesman Colin Imhoff told ABC 17 News on Monday afternoon that police still aren’t sure of the teenager’s motive in the shooting. Imhoff said he was not aware of any property damage to the store and an ABC 17 News reporter did not observe any noticeable damage on Monday.

Imhoff also said there was a victim inside of the vehicle that was carjacked. No injuries were reported.

The suspect was taken into custody by the Missouri State Highway Patrol around 8:30 p.m. in Pettis County after crashing on Route V near Bahner Road. Troopers initiated a traffic stop near Sedalia after spotting a grey Nissan Altima– a vehicle the agency had been on high alert for after CPD entered the license plate into the Flock camera system.

“When a plate is entered into the system, if the plate passes through an area with a camera, it will send a notification to the agency entering the plate. That information can then be relayed to other agencies,” Troop A spokesman Cpl. Justin Ewing wrote in an email to ABC 17 News on Monday.

CPD said they were originally called to the area for an active assailant and shots fired around 7 p.m. on Saturday night. Beardshear said after seeing the large response, she decided she didn’t need to stick around any longer to know it wasn’t an area she should be in, and left.

“I get disappointed sometimes when something like that happens and there’s so many people around, but nobody comes over to check on anybody or let them know even that there’s an assailant,” Beardshear said. “I don’t know if they knew at that time where he’d went and so I didn’t either but I know that when it’s that big of an ordeal and when there’s so many moving parts, that’s probably something that isn’t at the forefront of their mind.”

Beardshear wasn’t the only one feeling panic and anxiety after seeing the large police presence. Sophia Diya, a junior at the University of Missouri, said she was driving by the area when she saw the large scene.

The two later learned after scrolling on Facebook what had happened.

“I felt nervous and wanted to get away for sure as fast as possible because it’s not something you want to be close to,” Diya said. “We found out later on that it was a shooting, so we were glad we stayed away as quick as we could.”

The pair said they believe there is a lot of crime in the Columbia area, but said it sometimes can feel like there’s more than there actually is due to it being a smaller town. However, they said as of recently, it feels as though crime has been encroaching more in areas that they would visit during their day-to-day life.

“It was definitely a time of day where we easily could have been going to Dicks or the mall or somewhere,” Lexie Diya– who’s lived in Columbia her entire life said. “That is a little scary, especially with kids now. I just wouldn’t want to be caught out alone with my baby in a situation like that so it does feel a little closer to home, in this area especially.”

An ABC 17 News reporter saw a security guard working at the front of the Dick’s Sporting Goods on Monday afternoon.

Beardshear commended the efforts of police to quickly arrive on scene Saturday night and for having that large of a response. She said while she feels OK since being so close to the incident, it’s caused her to be more vigilant.

“I don’t have anything lingering, it’s just something that makes me a little more cautious when it’s dark and that’s just a normal way to be,” Beardshear said.

ABC 17 News reached out to Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson, who said his office had not received any referrals as of Monday.

Another shooting incident at the The Greens — an apartment complex on the opposite side of the city — on Sunday led to one woman being killed and two others with life-threatening injuries.

Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe claimed that violent crime numbers for last year are down, but claimed one incident “too many.” D’Markus Thomas Brown, of the city’s Office of Violence Prevention Administrator, said his office is working to address crime.

“We’re looking at an ecosystem of care that goes into place when we’re looking at what the causes are, what is the psyche of the individuals doing the acts of violence, what are the resources they’re accessing, who has access to them,” Thomas Brown said.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Five people were killed in traffic crashes on state roads over the New Year’s holiday weekend, according to a Monday press release from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The release says the “counting period” lasted from 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31-11:59 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4.

This year, there were 87 people injured in 187 crashes, while 112 were arrested for driving while intoxicated. In the 2025-25 holiday period, there was one person killed and 118 injured in 264 crashes, the release says.

MSHP made a note that the New Year’s Day counting period varies each year, depending on which day of the week the holiday falls. Since the holiday fell on a Thursday, the counting period lasted 4.25 days this year, compared to last year when it fell on a Wednesday and lasted 1.25 days.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A fire that occurred Monday morning at a duplex in northern Columbia was ruled accidental, according to a press release from the Columbia Fire Department.  

The release says the fire in the 2800 block of North Willowbrook Drive was started in a clothes dryer.

A cat died in the fire and two kittens “are currently unaccounted for,” according to the release. Two people were evaluated for injuries at the scene, but declined medical treatment or transportation to a hospital, according to the release.

Firefighters were called at 7:56 a.m., arrived within four minutes and saw smoke and flames coming from the back of the building. The fire was found in the basement and the back of the home and was under control within 15 minutes, according to the release.

There were 22 firefighters at the scene.

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Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man was charged Monday with involuntary manslaughter on accusations that he had a seizure while driving after not taking his medicine, killing a nursing home resident.

Deshawn M. Robinson, 57, was charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter and driving without a license on New Year’s Day. He was listed on the Cole County Jail roster on Monday evening.

Robinson crashed into Westbrook Terrace Memory Care at 3305 N. Ten Mile Drive on Thursday afternoon. The crash killed a nursing home resident. Authorities have not publicly identified the victim.

Robinson had a seizure at about 10 a.m. Jan. 1, then another one while driving a few hours later that led to the crash, according to a probable cause statement. He had not been taking his seizure medication for several days, police say.

Robinson allegedly told police that he knew not taking his medication led to him having seizures.

No court dates have been set.

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Gabrielle Teiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Boone County Prosecutor’s Office has charged a man with murder after a shooting that killed one person and left two seriously injured on Clark Lane in Columbia Sunday night.

Columbia police said Monday that one of the victims in the shooting, Brianna Hawkins, 21, of Fulton, died at a nearby hospital after being shot.

James Lamont Caldwell Jr., 23, was arrested Sunday and charged Monday with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and two counts of first-degree assault, the prosecutor’s office said. His address in jail records is listed as Fulton. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond, though a mugshot was not yet available on Monday afternoon.

Police confirmed to ABC 17 News the shooting incident was domestic and that some victims were shot and stabbed. There were three victims total and all victims suffered life-threatening injuries.

Court documents say when CPD officers arrived to the 4800 Block of Clark Lane just after 9 p.m. on Sunday, they were approached by a victim who had been shot in the mouth. As they continued to toward the apartment, officers wrote they saw a second victim — who court documents imply was Hawkins — outside next to the sidewalk that lead up to the apartment with multiple gunshot wounds.

Police found the door of the apartment opened and covered in blood, the statement says. Upon entering, police wrote they saw James Caldwell Jr. standing over a third victim. Court documents say blood was smeared on the living room carpet and a black handgun with an bullet casings was on the floor. Police then took Caldwell into custody at the scene.

The documents then go on to say officers began giving life-saving measures on one of the victims, but didn’t specify which. One victim told officer Katherine Guise “please help me, I don’t want to die,” and then named Caldwell Jr. as the suspect, according to court documents.

Officers on scene determined one of the victims was found to have both gunshot and stab wounds after a knife was found underneath their body.

Caldwell Jr. pleaded guilty in December 2022 to felony drug possession in Callaway County.

Police did not give the conditions of the other two shooting victims. Court documents say one of the victims underwent surgery at University Hospital and is currently in the intensive care unit at risk of dying from their injuries.

Sgt. Austin Nelson asked one of the victims who had shot while they were also receiving care at University Hospital. The victim was unable to speak, but court documents say the victim wrote “James Caldwell” on a piece of paper.

When interviewed by police, Caldwell Jr. said he did not remember or know anything, according to the statement. Caldwell allegedly told police he took a Xanax and the next thing he remembers is waking up in the street with blood on his hands.

Since Jan. 1, 2025, Columbia police have responded to 276 calls for disturbances, 13 assaults, 12 burglaries, seven calls for shots fired and 14 for shots heard on Clark Lane, according to dispatch logs.

Some residents in the area say violence is a continued problem.

“We heard a gunshot, multiple gunshots, like three to five gunshots,” Greens at Columbia resident Abraham Asto said. “And then after that, we heard someone screaming so loud. So we’re just very terrified.”

Asto said when he heard repeated shots fired in the apartment nextdoor Sunday night, he and his roommates hid in the bathroom and called 911.

“Because we don’t know what’s going on. Maybe there’s some stray bullets outside our window, our door. So we just need to protect ourselves,” Asto said.

When he learned three people had been shot and a 21-year-old woman died, he said more fear set in.

“I’m very, very terrified. And as well so sad. The violence here is too much,” Asto said. “For now, I’m just so afraid to go outside because for me, it’s not so safe at this time.”

He told ABC 17 around noon Monday that he was surprised he had not heard from apartment management about the incident.

“I’m expecting something from our management, from the Links, Columbia management, to give us some update or email probably of what’s going on,” Asto said.

Management told ABC 17 it “could not provide a statement.”

Asto said he will be moving.

“I’m gonna early vacate my unit because I feel not safe. That’s the thing. Like if it’s one door away from my bedroom or my house, it feels it’s not safe for me,” Asto said.

After a weekend of violent crime, Columbia city leaders are sharing their thoughts and how they plan to continue to deter crime in the city.

The city’s Office of Violence Prevention says it continues its efforts to identify root causes of crime before it happens, especially in youth.

“We’re working on a ecosystem of care that goes into place when we’re looking at what the causes are, what is the physic of the individuals doing the acts of the violence. what are the resources they are accessing, who has access to them,” DaMarkus Thomas Brown with Columbia’s Office of Violence Prevention said.

“When I see the incidents involving youth you’re seeing the trends victims and assailants are getting younger, advocacy at the state level when we talk about minors in possession of firearms is something we want to advocate for so we don’t have gray areas when we enforce laws,” Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe said.

According to Buffaloe crime in Columbia is down according to 2025 numbers. However she says the numbers are not finalized yet but they show a decrease in crime and crime against property.

Although there a decline in crime numbers, the city says it recognizes the increase in crime involving youth.

“When I see the incidents involving youth we’re seeing the trends in victims and assilants are getting younger, advocacy at the state level when we talk about minors in possession of firearms is something we want to advocate for so we don’t have grey areas when we enforce laws,” Buffaloe said.

 The shooting at the Green’s Apartment Complex and Dick’s Sporting Goods happened in different parts of the city. Buffaloe said the city is taking a proactive approach.

“We look at where there are hotspots where incidents are happening there are incidents of crime that can happen anywhere around the city we look to people to be proactive for some of the incidents whether its domestic violence or youth involved we need to find other ways to influence that and deter it,” Buffaloe added.

Other ways to deter crime, Buffaloe says the city needs to continue to invest in resources.

“Both the recent abduction and then also this week’s incident at dick’s sporting goods you saw the use of tools and resources that we just invested in last year that flock camera system is how we were able to find and arrest those people so I think we continue to invest in it,” Buffaloe noted.

The city is beginning to work with the National Institute of Criminal Justice Reform to conduct a gun violence analysis. The Columbia City Council will discuss the analysis at it’s next meeting on Jan. 20th.

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Matthew Sanders

President Donald Trump has rolled out his “Don-roe Doctrine.”

That’s the portmanteau the president used over the weekend when talking about the military strikes in Venezuela, the news of which Americans woke up to on Saturday. The apparent goal of the show of force — which included strikes on Venezuela’s air defenses — was the capture and arrest of that country’s president, Nicolas Maduro.

Maduro has now been brought to New York City for prosecution, while Trump has said that the United States plans to “run” Venezuela and its oil industry. Critics say it’s a major presidential overreach, essentially going to war over the heads of Congress.

What do you think? Do you support the military operation? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Three people were shot on Clark Lane at the Greens apartment complex on Sunday night, according to Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude.

According to Schlude, police received reports of a shooting in the 4800 block of Clark lane shortly after 9 p.m. Police found three people who had been shot on scene. Their injuries are considered to be life-threatening, Schlude said. Police detained one person on scene and said they do not believe there is an outstanding threat to the public.

Schlude could not confirm if the shooting happened in the parking lot or in an apartment.

A social media post from CPD said that there were three reported victims. Injuries ranged from minor to life-threatening, the post said. Additional information about what happened was not immediately available.

“Officers arrived on the scene very quickly, so did the Boone County Sheriff’s Department they located three victims,” Schlude said. “Those three victims have life-threatening injuries, everybody was transported as trauma patients to the hospital with gunshot wounds.”

The Ashland Police Department, University of Missouri Police Department, Hallsville Police Department and Boone County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the scene.

“Obviously, when we have large-scale incidents like this, there’s a lot of information coming in that 911 is trying to sort through, so we initially were told there were more than three victims,” Schlude said. “Once we realized the victim count was lower than what was initially reported, they went back to their jurisdictions.”

An ABC 17 News reporter on scene saw several CPD vehicles near the Links apartment complex around 9:30 Sunday night. The reporter also saw officers searching a wooded area near the complex.

ABC 17 News is working to learn more information.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

All on-street parking rates in Downtown Columbia are increasing to $1 per hour, a $0.40 increase, starting Monday, according to a city press release. This ensures all parking rates match the campus area south of Elm Street.

According to the release, the city intentionally selected Monday to reprogram and update pricing labels on the meters and install new signage with updated rates because fewer people will be downtown.

This is the first rate adjustment since 2013, according to the release. The additional parking revenue will be used to maintain and improve parking infrastructure.

Columbia resident Amanda Werlein said she already avoids downtown because of traffic, and she doesn’t think Columbia should charge for parking.

“I think it would help the community more to have more freely available parking. It would be nice if parking wasn’t paid at all,” Werlein said.

Werlein also said an extra $0.40 isn’t a big deal.

“It is a reasonable enough choice to increase the parking to a dollar; it’s not that much of a change,” Werlein said. “It shouldn’t be something that is there to begin with.” 

Also starting on Monday, cashless users who pay the meter on the ParkMobile App won’t have a fee associated with their transaction, according to the release. About 54% of people pay for parking through the app.

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Alison Patton

ELDON, Mo. (KMIZ)

Eldon residents are still under a boil order as of Saturday, marking the 18th day.

The city posted on its social media, saying it collected eight water samples from four locations that previously tested positive for Total Coliform, and one sample came back with traces of the bacteria. That sample was taken from the northern part of the city.

Total Coliform isn’t harmful; however, its presence usually means other bacteria can be in the water as well, according to the city.

E. Coli was found on a routine water test Dec. 16, and the boil order was issued on Dec. 17. That bacteria hasn’t been found in recent testing.

The city has since been flushing water lines to fix the problem, but the positive test in the northern part of Eldon is keeping the boil order active.

Some Eldon residents are frustrated that they don’t have readily accessible drinking water. Residents have to either boil contaminated water or buy bottled water.

Laura Simmons Markway is an Eldon realtor in the city. She said she bought her last client of 2025 a case of bottled water.

“Part of her closing gift, I bought a case of water, which she was grateful for, but questioned whether or not this was a community she should have invested in,” Simmons Markway said.

 She also said the boil order is stretching the pockets of many community members.

“We’re a blue-collar community, and they’re hourly workers, so purchasing bottled water or boiling water is not just inconvenient, but it’s costly for them,” Simmons Markway said.

The city needs two consecutive water sample tests to come back clean before it can lift the boil order.

“The City will continue additional flushing, testing, and necessary protocols and will keep residents informed as new information becomes available,” The City of Eldon posted posted to social media. “We appreciate everyone’s patience as we work through the required steps to resolve this.”

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 17-year-old Columbia teen was arrested for firing shots and a carjacking in the Shoppes at Stadium area Saturday night, according to a press release from the Columbia Police Department.

CPD spokesman Colin Imhoff said officers were called to the area just after 7 p.m. for reports of an active assailant and shots fired. Police later determined the shots were fired inside Dick’s Sporting Goods. At the scene, no injuries were reported.

The suspect later ran away, stole a car and drove away on Interstate 70.

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, a later press release states.

Troop A spokesman Cpl. Justin Ewing told ABC 17 that troopers took the suspect into custody after spotting a grey Nissan Altima driving on Route V in Pettis County. Troopers were on alert for that make and model of car after its information was entered into the Flock camera system by CPD, and the car was spotted on Flock cameras.

Ewing said troopers initiated a traffic stop around 8:15 p.m. Saturday near Sedalia when the car attempted to flee, leading to a pursuit. The car crashed on Route V near Bahner Road, and the suspect was taken into custody just after 8:30 p.m.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, a 17-year-old Columbia teen crashed a 2023 Nissan Altima on Route V after driving right off the road and into a ditch around 8:20 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s a surprise to me because I wouldn’t expect this kind of stuff,” Columbia resident Bentley Durk said. “It doesn’t really happen on South Side.”

A spokesperson for the Columbia Fire Department said it was also dispatched to reports of an active assailant in the 200 block of North Stadium Boulevard just after 7 p.m.

A total of 10 units responded with 20 personnel. An ABC 17 News reporter saw firefighters wearing bulletproof vests on the scene.

Police tape came down around 10:20 p.m at the Shoppes at Stadium.

CPD said there is no threat to the public, but reported at the scene that it was looking for multiple suspects.

“We’re still unsure if there are multiple suspects or if it is just the one,” CPD spokesman Imhoff told ABC 17 in an email Sunday morning.

This is a developing story.

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