Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

No injuries were reported after a gun was fired in Boonville, according to a Friday social media post from the Boonville Police Department.

The post says that police were called to a report of shots fired at 3 p.m. at the intersection of Main Street and Rankin Mill Lane. Police wrote that they found evidence of a gun being fired, but did not say how many shots were likely fired.

Police wrote that the person who allegedly fired the gun drove away in a black Volkswagen with Missouri license plates reading TL6D7P.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

There will be 5,954 people graduating during next weekend’s commencement ceremonies at the University of Missouri, according to a Friday press release from MU.

Graduation ceremonies will occur Friday through Sunday and a total of 6,428 degrees will be awarded. Of that total, 4,638 are bachelor’s degrees; 1,101 are master’s and education specialists’ degrees and 689 are doctoral and professional degrees, the release says. Some students receive more than one degree.

The release says that ceremonies will be livestreamed.

The schedule for graduations will be as followed:

Friday, May 16 

Graduate School – Masters and Education Specialist Degrees: 1 p.m. at Mizzou Arena

Honors College: 2 p.m. at Jesse Auditorium

Graduate School – Doctoral Degrees: 4 p.m. at Mizzou Arena

Sinclair School of Nursing: 6 p.m. at Jesse Auditorium

Trulaske College of Business: 7 p.m. at Mizzou Arena

Saturday, May 17

College of Arts & Science (Arts & Science Commencement ceremonies are divided by major, the release says.)

8:30 a.m. at Mizzou Arena includes the following majors: Biological Sciences; Chemistry; Constitutional Democracy; Data Science; Economics; Geological Sciences; History; Mathematics; Physics; Political Science; Psychology/Psychological Sciences; Public Administration & Policy; Sociology; Statistics

Noon at Mizzou Arena includes the following majors: Ancient Mediterranean Studies; Anthropology; Architectural Studies; Art; Art History; Communication; Digital Storytelling; English; Film Studies; General Studies; Geography; German; Graphic Design; Interdisciplinary Studies (includes emphasis areas of Black Studies, Environmental Studies, Peace Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies); International Studies; Linguistics; Music; Music Education; Philosophy; Religious Studies; Romance Languages (includes emphasis areas of French and Spanish); Russian; Textile and Apparel Management; Theatre

School of Medicine: 11 a.m. at Jesse Auditorium

School of Law: 2 p.m. at Jesse Auditorium

College of Health Sciences: 3:30 p.m. at Mizzou Arena

College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources: 7 p.m. at Mizzou Arena

Sunday, May 18

Missouri School of Journalism: 9 a.m. at Mizzou Arena

College of Engineering: Noon at Mizzou Arena

College of Veterinary Medicine: 1 p.m. at Jesse Auditorium

College of Education & Human Development: 3 p.m. at Mizzou Arena

College of Health Sciences (Professional/Clinical): 4 p.m. at Jesse Auditorium

ROTC Commissioning

Naval/Marine: 2 p.m. at  Stotler Lounge, Memorial Union

Air Force: 11 a.m. Saturday, May 17 at Cornell Hall, Bush Auditorium

Army: 9 a.m. Sunday, May 18 at Memorial Union, Wrench Auditorium

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A $50,000 donation from the Columbia Public Schools Foundation was made Friday to reduce student lunch debt, according to a press release from CPSF.

The donation was made to the Lunch For Learners Fund. A Thursday email from a CPS spokesperson stated that school lunch debt sat at $124,613. CPS spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark wrote the Lunch for Learners Fund now has $75,896.81 in its account. 

“We work with the families to determine if a student’s circumstances allow their debt to be covered by funds from the account.  Not all the debt is from students who are in circumstances that have impacted their ability to pay for their meals.  In the case, where a family can pay but chooses not to those debts are sent to collections,” Baumstark wrote.

The Lunch for Learners fund was created in 2010 by then-Superintendent Chris Belcher and Nutrition Services Director Laina Fullum. The Columbia Public Schools Foundation is a private foundation established by community volunteers.

Last month, community member Ken Rice – who ran in April’s school board election – also asked for community support in knocking out the debt.

The release says donations can be made online at cpsf.org/donate; or by mailing the CPSF at P.O. Box 1234, Columbia, MO 65205.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 74-year-old man from Black, Missouri, was seriously injured in a Wednesday crash at the intersection of Route D and County Road 9000 in Phelps County, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.

The report says the crash occurred as a 1998 Yamaha motorcycle was heading westbound when it went off the right side of the road and hit a utility pole. The man was wearing a helmet, the report says.

The man was flown to Mercy Hospital in Springfield, according to the report. The bike had minor damage.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged after authorities say he allegedly assaulted a tenant at a Boone County residence on Thursday.  

Frederick Garver, 53, was charged with third-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A hearing was held Friday afternoon at the Boone County Courthouse.

The probable cause statement says that the victim told police that his landlord, Garver, head-butted him and threatened to assault him with a baseball bat.

Police went to Garver’s residence, where he claimed that he was having issues with the tenant and brought a baseball bat to “take care” of the issue, court documents say. Garver claimed he pushed the victim, but couldn’t confirm if he did head-butt him.

Garver tried to resist arrest, but complied when an officer pulled out a stun gun, court documents say.

The motion to set bond says that the victim in this case is the same victim in another case where Garver is charged with misdemeanor third-degree kidnapping and misdemeanor resisting arrest. A case review is set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 17.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Holts Summit man was charged on Friday with several felonies after he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in 2023.

Jeffrey Wilcox, 28, was charged with first-degree sodomy, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. He is being held at the Callaway County Jail without bond. A court date has not been set.

According to the probable cause statement, the victim reported the assault to Holts Summit police on July 1, 2023. The assault allegedly occurred the day before. The victim allegedly rejected Wilcox’s advances until Wilcox pulled out a gun, the statement says.

The loaded gun was allegedly sitting on a bed and was pointed at the victim, the statement says. A searched warrant was obtained for Wilcox’s DNA and was sent to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab, court documents say.

DNA from Wilson allegedly matched a sample that was in the sexual assault kit, court documents say.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Another man has pleaded guilty to a lesser murder charge in a June 2023 fatal shooting on Dove Drive.

Jajuan Crockett, 23, of Columbia, pleaded guilty on Friday to second-degree murder, tampering with a motor vehicle, two counts of stealing and one count of tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

He was previously charged with first-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action, first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, accessory to stealing, stealing more than $750 and tampering with evidence.

Crockett appeared in court by video. He is being held at South Central Correctional Center and is serving a six-year sentence in an unrelated case.

In court Friday, the state said it agreed to the 10-year sentence because it could not confirm whether Crockett was in either vehicle allegedly used in the shooting and he was not the shooter. However, prosecutors noted that he used his home as a meeting point and to dispose of evidence, according to court documents.

Court documents filed last month say Deazes Turner, Deljuan Turner and Alqueze Jones shot and killed Deshon Houston, 33, on June 26, 2023, from a white 2017 Ford Explorer driven by Ja’Shaun Barney; while Bryton Allen also shot at Houston from an Acura MDX driven by Damarkus Williams.

Investigators linked seven suspects to the shooting through witness descriptions of two vehicles and data from a stolen SUV that crashed while fleeing the scene. Both sides had more than 100 witnesses ready to go for this case if it went to trial.

On June 26, 2023, police found Houston shot in the head outside a home in the 3200 block of Dove Drive. Witnesses reported seeing the gunmen firing at Houston and another man through the sunroof of one of the vehicles. 

Several men have taken plea deals in the shooting. Deljuan Turner pleaded guilty in November to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 21 years in prison. Jones, 21, pleaded guilty that same month to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 21 years in prison.

Allen, 22, pleaded guilty in July 2024 to second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon and was sentenced to 20 years. He was also sentenced to four years in prison in an unrelated case where he pleaded guilty to resisting arrest in 2021.

Deazes Turner, 22, pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 21 years in prison.

Barney, 20, is charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond and has a hearing scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday, June 5.

Williams, 20, is charged with first-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon. He is being held at the Boone County Jail and has a hearing scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday, June 30.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Sedalia man who is accused of firing a gun at a woman on Wednesday has been charged with multiple felonies.

Josiah Willis, 21, was charged with first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. He is being held at the Pettis County Jail on a $35,000 bond. Willis appeared for an arraignment on Friday by video from the jail. A counsel status hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 20.

The probable cause statement says that police were called to a residence at 6:29 p.m. for a domestic disturbance and were told that Willis just left in a convertible. Police saw blood on the door of the home and the floor, as well as a broken window and glass on the floor, the statement says.

A woman allegedly told Willis to leave her home because he cheated on her daughter and he punched out a window on his way out, the statement says. Other people near the home said Willis pulled out a gun after, but those inside the house didn’t see it, the statement says.

Willis came back to the home while police were there and started arguing with officers, the statement says. Police found a gun and shell casings and determined that four shots had been fired, court documents say.

One of the women stated they went to find Willis about an hour before to get him to gather his belongings from the residence, the statement says. The woman “pinged” Willis’ phone and found him on private property in a wooded area on Missouri Avenue behind Hubbard Park, court documents say.

Willis allegedly fired a shot in the air when the woman arrived, court documents say. She decided to leave and Willis fired two or three more rounds at the woman, court documents say. Residents in the area also heard gunshots, police wrote.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 17-year-old boy was seriously injured after he was hit by a vehicle on Thursday night on Route J in Camden County, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The youth was flown to University Hospital, the report says.

The crash occurred when a 2017 Nissan Rogue – driven by a 26-year-old Roach, Missouri, man – hit the boy in the roadway, the report says.

The vehicle was totaled. No other injuries were reported.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man accused of stealing an ambulance from Phelps Health Hospital in Rolla on Thursday has been charged.

Jason Johnson, 44, of Bland, Missouri, was charged on Friday with first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle and aggravated fleeing. He is being held at the Phelps County Jail.

According to the probable cause statement, the ambulance was going to be used to bring a patient to another hospital “for a higher level of care” when Johnson took it.

The statement says that Johnson drove the ambulance on Interstate 44 while evading law enforcement. Johnson allegedly weaved in and out of traffic while going 10-18 miles over the speed limit, the statement says.

A Thursday press release from Phelps Health says law enforcement used spike strips to stop the vehicle in St. James.

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