Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man has been charged with two felonies and two misdemeanors after he allegedly escaped a deputy’s vehicle after a crash on Sunday.

Ryan Suttner, 30, of Glasgow, Missouri, was charged on Monday with first-degree property damage, resisting arrest, reckless driving and driving while intoxicated. He is being held at the Howard County Jail on a $9,500 cash-only bond.

The probable cause statement says Suttner got into a crash with another vehicle after it swerved on a highway in Howard County. Suttner was detained and a preliminary breath test apparently had a high BAC, though the statement does not say what the number was. Suttner was being held in the back of a patrol vehicle.

“While I was photographing the damages, Officer B. Abbott and I heard a vehicle door close which sounded like it came from our patrol vehicles. I panned my flashlight into the field and observed Ryan running in the field still handcuffed with his wrists behind his person,” the deputy wrote. “Officer B. Abbott and I began to pursue Ryan through the field. After a short period of time, Officer B. Abbott and I lost visual of Ryan and began to walk.”

Law enforcement used drones before being told by a witness that Suttner ran back to his Glasgow home, the statement says. A deputy wrote that Suttner’s BAC was .091 after he was detained again.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Sufficient water pumping has been restored to Eagle Bluffs Conservation area, according to a Monday press release from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Issues with the area’s water supply infrastructure led to the MDC to suspend waterfowl hunting in the area last month.  With pumping restored, MDC staff can manage the water again and waterfowl hunting is set to begin Saturday, Nov. 7 in the middle zone.

Applications for in-season reservations are available Tuesday for the week of Nov. 17, the release says.

“Work related to the Missouri River water supply pumps replacement project nears completion, but until the project is finalized, the River Parking lot will remain closed,” the release says. Previous reporting says the project costs $1.5 million.   

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A portion of Business Loop 70 in Columbia will close overnight each night this week through Thursday, according to a Monday press release from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Crews will remove a bridge at Exit 125 that goes over the Business Loop, the release says. Crews will work 7 p.m.-6 a.m. each night through Thursday, Nov. 5, the release says.

There will be no access to Business Loop 70 underneath I-70, the release says. The ramp from westbound I-70 to Business Loop 70 will be partially closed. Those south of I-70 on Business Loop 70 and access westbound I-70 from Range Line Street, the release says.  

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Stephi Smith

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Halloween party at a Jefferson City event venue ended with reports of gunfire early Saturday morning, leaving a vehicle damaged by a bullet and attendees rushing to get out of the building, according to police and a DJ who was working the event.

A press release from the Jefferson City Police Department states officers responded to reports of gunshots to Mel’s Café at 2411 Industrial Dr. shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday.

The release states there was a large event with “several hundred individuals.” Mel’s Cafe’s Facebook page states the business closes to the public at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays. The cafe also offers private rentals, according to its social media.

A manager with Mel’s Café directed questions about the incident to the police department. Jefferson City Police Chief Eric Wilde said the department has no new information about the incident. 

Dispatch records obtained through a public records request provide additional details about the police response. Officers reported locating seven shell casings in the roadway around 2:41 a.m.

Dispatch notes also indicate a woman suffered a possible dislocated knee during the incident. EMS was requested but later determined to no longer be needed.

The records also note bullet holes in at least one vehicle at the event.  

The event was advertised as a Halloween party titled “Nightmare on Pluto.” The event page stated attendees had to be at least 21 years old and that security was “strictly enforced.”

Cameron Duncan, who performed as a at the event, said he initially wasn’t sure whether he heard a gunshot or if one of his speakers blew out. Duncan said the crowd began pushing toward one side of the venue after people apparently spotted a gun. He said several people fell as attendees rushed to get away.

Duncan said he was pushed to the ground but was not injured. He later noticed one of his speakers had broken.

Duncan, who said he has organized events for years, said he had never experienced anything like the incident at one of his own events.

He said he believes additional security and staffing could help prevent similar incidents at future events.

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Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Office of Violence Prevention believes that in two years, collaboration among community-based groups will be strong enough to deter some crimes across the city.

The OVP began operating in March 2025 following a 2023 proposal by Mayor Barbara Buffaloe. The goal of the office is to coordinate the development, implementation and evaluation of prevention and intervention tactics in the city. It works to provide community enrichment programs and ensure discussions about violent trends are being addressed, according to city officials.

Halloween weekend saw some violent crimes in Columbia. Downtown, a 36-year-old woman was shot in the back early Saturday. Outside a southside Walmart, a 46-year-old man was shot Sunday night.

“I don’t think any of these business owners want that, right? Nor do the people who frequent that business,” Columbia Violence Prevention Administration D’Markus Thomas-Brown said. “The lady who got shot, she didn’t want to get shot.”

For the past 19 months, Thomas-Brown said the city has worked on greater collaboration in the wake of crime. But more needs to be done.

“We got to collaborate,” Thomas-Brown said. “I believe the appetite is there. But where I think leaders can step up is to help us with the variance to collaborate. Make sure it’s a mandate and this expectation to collaborate. Even with MU [the University of Missouri].”

University of Missouri System President Mun Choi has called Walnut Street between Eighth and Tenth streets — where Saturday’s shooting occurred — the “danger zone.” At the beginning of the fall semester, Choi told students to avoid that area of town late at night.

In early August, there was a shots-fired call. No one was hurt, but one person was arrested. In late July, there was a large street brawl in that area, resulting in several people being arrested.

Choi has urged law enforcement and city leadership to do better.

“Pointing fingers does nobody good,” Thomas-Brown said. “But when we collaborate, and we all bring our resources to the table to make sure those who have adequate solutions and have the data to back it up are actually in the forefront and are able to do what they can do best, and we’re supporting that effort. That is when we’re going to see safety.”

A crime report presented to the Columbia City Council in October showed a slight decline in overall crime in the city during the past year, but reported crime downtown increased sharply.

“We know that crime does not germinate downtown,” Thomas-Brown said. “And especially if you’re talking about violent, if we’re talking about gun violence, it does not germinate downtown. We have a lot going on. For us, our view is more than just downtown. We have a community issue that we’re dealing with.”

Columbia’s Spirit Halloween store was forced to close Saturday afternoon after police said someone was pepper sprayed in line. Thomas-Brown said that incident also affected his family.

“We had bear mace shut down the Halloween Spirit store, and we had people go to the E.R. One of the people in the ambulance that went to the E.R. was my sister. My two nieces were in the store. So I’m getting that phone call,” Thomas-Brown said.

Coming into the office Monday, with a council meeting set for the evening, city leaders are looking at what happened between two weekend shootings and a pepper spraying.

On the council agenda is an ask for more funding for more staffing in the Office of Violence Prevention and another violence study.

“We’ve been building the impetus to make sure this office is able to stand,” Thomas-Brown said. “And so tonight, we’ll be asking for a Office of Violence Prevention community coordinator. And so what that community coordinator will be doing is coordinating and collaborating with all of our CBOs [community-based organizations] and making sure that this community violence intervention ecosystem is able be stood up and that is sustained.”

Ward 3 Councilwoman Jacque Sample asked for a report about hospital-based violence prevention program Power4STL, according to Thomas-Brown. The nonprofit works to help survivors of violent injuries break the cycle of retaliation and re-injury through combined medical treatment and community-based social support.

In another effort to curb violent crime in the community, a violence reduction landscape analysis was done earlier this year. Thomas-Brown previously told ABC 17 News that the office will have a full strategic plan drawn from that study in March 2027.

It’s vital that safety leaders from all realms join in the conversation, Thomas-Brown said.

“The OVP is not the police. We’re not dispatched to every call,” Thomas-Brown said. “We are maintaining and bringing sustainability to our community organizations who are out here, and we’re developing the ecosystem.”

Thomas-Brown remains sure of the OVP’s plans and mission.

He reiterated that work is being done, conversations are being had, and progress is being made to curb violence. But the payoff can be slow in coming, he said.

“We didn’t get here in a year,” Thomas-Brown said. “This didn’t just start happening yesterday. So that’s going to take time, especially when you talk about preventative nature. It’s going to take time to see the payoff of what’s going on. I believe we’ll see it in two years.”

In the meantime, he said community members should stay vigilant, but not feel unsafe.

“We want to make sure that we’re not demonizing certain areas and things of that nature, because it’s not just downtown,” Thomas-Brown said.

He said it’s also not just about looking at violent crimes.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged Monday with two felonies after he was arrested in the aftermath of a downtown shooting, though he is not accused of firing shots.

Demarquen T. Allen, 28, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. He was arrested after a shooting early Saturday near Eighth and Walnut streets in downtown Columbia — an area University of Missouri President Mun Choi has warned students to stay away from.

Charging documents say that Allen admitted to having a gun and brandishing it after he heard shots ring out in an alley. A surveillance camera at The Blue Note captured Allen pointing the gun, then tucking it back into his clothing and running, according to the probable cause statement.

Police have also arrested Iseah Jackson, 23, of Columbia, in connection with the case. He was charged on Monday in federal court with being a felon with a gun. He is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond.

Court documents say Jackson was present during the shooting and he had two active warrants for his arrest. Court documents do not indicate he was accused of shooting anyone at the scene. Jackson pleaded guilty on Dec. 12, 2022, to two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter.

Allen is not accused of firing the gun. The victim told police she was walking on the north side of Walnut Street when she was shot in the back. The bullet exited on the right side of her chest, according to the statement.

The woman suffered life-threatening injuries, police said Saturday, but was stable at a hospital.

Officers found six guns and the clothing that Allen was seen wearing in the security video at his Eastwood Drive apartment, according to the statement.

It wasn’t clear Monday morning whether police had arrested the suspected shooter.

Allen remained in the Boone County Jail without bond on Monday.

The area around Eighth and Broadway has been under scrutiny since high-profile events led Choi to write a message asking students to avoid that area at night because of crime.

Jackson has a hearing scheduled for 9:45 a.m. Tuesday in Jefferson City.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Jefferson City Police responded to a burglary that ended with shots fired Sunday night.

According to a JCPD press release, officers responded to the 1100 block of East Miller St. for reports of a burglary around 7:39 p.m. Sunday.

The owner of the home found an unknown person inside, causing the homeowner to fire a weapon. There were no injuries and the suspect ran from the scene before officers arrived.

Officers searched the area but could not find the suspect.

The incident is under investigation by JCPD’s Criminal Investigations Division.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Felony charges have been filed against both of the men Columbia police arrested in connection with a Sunday night shooting at the Walmart on Grindstone Parkway in south Columbia.

Antory Tervez Lee King, 25, of Columbia, was charged on Monday afternoon with first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court date was not set.

Michael Christopher Otey Jr., 27, of Columbia, is charged with shooting at a vehicle, three counts of armed criminal action, two counts of first-degree assault and a single count of drug possession. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court date has not been set.

The probable cause statement in King’s case says officers responded to a shots-fired call at 6:40 p.m. Sunday. Officers viewed video that allegedly showed the victim “M.C.O” pull into a parking spot in the lot and another vehicle driven by a “K.K.” drive around the parking lot before “M.C.O. and M.O. approached” the Trailblazer, the statement says.

“M.C.O.” allegedly pointed at “K.K.” and yelled at them before walking up to the portion of the vehicle where King sat, the statement says. “M.C.O.” allegedly punched King in his face and ran to his own b vehicle and the Trailblazer drove off.

Officers wrote that “K.K.” told them that another person “F.M.” got out of the vehicle and went into the Walmart. “K.K.” went to “M.C.O.” “to see what his problem was,” court documents allege.

“K.K. stated she blocked M.C.O.’s vehicle in because she was trying to get WalMart security’s attention,” the statement says.

“He hit my husband first, and my husband picked the gun up and shot him,” K.K. was quoted in the probable cause statement.

King allegedly told police that he approached the vehicle to try to deescalate the situation, the statement says. King allegedly told police that “M.O.” was holding the gun at the time he was punched, court documents allege.

The Walmart was back open Monday morning after the shooting. Columbia police officers blocked off the Walmart parking lot with crime scene tape shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday. Customers inside the store were evacuated through a side door into the parking lot at around 7:13 p.m.

One Walmart employee told an ABC 17 News reporter on scene that staff could leave, except those in the grocery section. Officers and Walmart employees stopped customers from entering. Eight Columbia Police cars and two University of Missouri ambulances were in the parking lot during the response; one ambulance left with its lights on around 6:55 p.m.

A Crime Scene Investigation van arrived at the Walmart at 7:05 p.m. Witnesses inside the Walmart at the time of the shooting told ABC 17 News that he was checking out when someone yelled “shots fired,” and customers started running to the back of the store.

Around 9:35, officers escorted people to their cars and told them to leave if they were parked in the taped-off areas.

Crime scene tape started coming down at 10:25 p.m.

Check back for updates.

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Melissa Houston

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Investigators with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office have identified the time frame of death and potential birth year for human remains of a young boy found in in Dixon, Missouri.

The skull of John Dixon Doe was found in October 2013 along Highway 28.  

Recently, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released a facial recognition photo of what they believe the boy could look like.

It was estimated he had been dead at least one year prior to the recovery, but its unknown how long the skull had been there. Now, Pulaski County detective Melinda French said through forensic testing on two of his on two teeth they have determined the boy to have died between 1967 and 1972.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said the boy is believed to have been between 8-13 years old.

Testing determined the birth year of the boy to be sometime between the autumn of 1957 and the summer of 1960, according to the French.

French said the tests done to determine the boys possible age analyzed what she called “organic materials.” The department measured the remaining amount of Carbon-14, which is a radioactive isotope of carbon.

After DNA testing, the boy was deemed to be of Asian ancestry with a possible connection to India, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Pakistan.

French explained the specific tests utilized as Autosomal DNA testing and Mitochondrial DNA testing. Forensic scientists use autosomal testing to analyze someone’s overall mixed ancestry from both parents, and mitochondrial DNA traces their direct maternal lineage.

French said knowledge of the boy’s ancestry leaves the investigation with more information, but does not entirely help get closer to the answers.

“Knowing the Asian ancestry, I don’t think either helps nor, hurts the possibility of identifying him, but it does make it more of a mystery,” French said. “It’s so frustrating at the same time because it’s like, well, where did he come from?”

In May of 2026, French said a family tree DNA request was submitted to help understand more of who the boy is, and where he came from, but the department is still waiting on results.

“Hopefully, you know, if we can receive some results from Family Tree DNA, we’ll be able to get a little bit more in depth with that.” French said.

The family tree DNA request could take up to “months,” French said. She said it has been months, and the department is still waiting on that information.

Since the announcement of what the boy could look like, French said the department has not received any tips that have been substantiated.

French said she has an upcoming collaboration with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to go over the genealogy research to make a plan on how to move forward with the information.

The department is still hoping someone can identify the boy or give any information as to who or where he may have came from.

“If anyone has any information regarding this child’s death, please let us know so we can identify him and take him home,” French said.

In 2013, the sheriff’s office told ABC 17 “there are no current missing adolescent cases in the country that match the time frame of these remains.”

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Police confirmed shots fired at the Walmart on Grindstone Parkway in South Columbia Sunday night.

A large police presence was on scene with officers investigating in and around the parking lot of the store.

Columbia Police officers started blocking off the parking lot with crime scene tape shortly after 7 p.m. An ABC 17 News reporter heard officers telling people they could not go into the store. People inside the store were evacuated through a side door into the parking lot around at 7:13 p.m.

Officers and Walmart employees were standing in front of Walmart’s entrances and prohibiting customers from entering.

The reporter saw eight Columbia Police cars and two University of Missouri ambulances in the parking lot during the response; one ambulance left with its lights on around 6:55 p.m.

A Crime Scene Investigation van arrived to the Walmart at 7:05 p.m.

Around 9:35, officers were escorting people to their cars to leave if they were parked in the taped-off areas.

Connor Ibruhim, a University of Missouri student who was inside the Walmart when the shots fired happened, said he was checking out when someone yelled “shots fired” and customers started running to the back of the store.

“We were close to the front about to checkout, then I heard some people yell ‘there’s shots being fired, shots being fired,’ I assumed it was a bunch of guys messing around,” Ibruhim said. “We went to the warehouse, straight to the back and we waited there until something changed, until we got the all clear.”

Ibruhim said him and his friend, Andrew Czheng, were waiting in the back warehouse of Walmart for about 10 to 15 minutes before being able to leave.

Czheng said that he saw a man enter the Walmart yelling.

“I saw dude, he was just yelling, I thought he was just drunk, but apparently he wasn’t,” Czheng said. “We started running to the back of the Walmart and it was just pretty insane.”

One Walmart employee that the reporter spoke with in passing said that staff were allowed to leave except those in the grocery section of Walmart.

“We saw there were some staff with us as we were running out, we saw some staff outside, there were staff waiting for us a little bit after once we moved to a different spot,” Imbruhim said.

Crime scene tape started coming down at 10:25 p.m.

ABC 17 News has reached out to CPD for more information. A spokesman said the public should avoid the area near the Walmart.

Check back for updates.

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