Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson announced Wednesday that no criminal charges would be filed against Jefferson City Police Department officers involved in an April 15 shooting that left one person dead and wounded one of the officers.
Thompson said in a news release he had determined after reviewing Missouri Highway Patrol investigative reports that "the actions of officers that evening were lawful and appropriate under the circumstances."
This began as officers were attempting to locate a vehicle in connection with earlier weapons violations observed near West McCarty and Hughes streets.
The officers attempted a traffic stop, but the driver - Jamie Williams, 27, of Jefferson City - failed to yield.
A pursuit began near West McCarty Street and Hughes Street and traveled through the city - to McCarty Street, Industrial Boulevard, Bolivar Street, Berry Street, Hart Street, West Miller Street, Brooks Street, U.S. 54 West, Madison Street, Stadium Boulevard, Monroe Street, Hickory Street and Jackson Street. Speeds allegedly reached as high as 70 mph.
Authorities said Williams stopped in the area of East Atchison and Jackson streets near Community Park and he and his passenger - Anthony Wilson, 28, of Jefferson City - fled on foot.
The Highway Patrol probable cause statement indicates the pursuing officers followed the suspects into a wooded area and a struggle ensued between Wilson and one of the officers.
During the struggle, Wilson produced a concealed handgun and fired two rounds at one of the officers, according to the probable cause statement. That officer was struck in the chest by the gunfire while the second officer returned fire, fatally striking Wilson in the torso.
Williams hid in the wooded area. A perimeter was created and additional officers, including one of JCPD's K-9 teams, responded to the area.
With the assistance of the Highway Patrol helicopter, Williams was found and taken into custody.
Authorities said Wilson and Williams were both on federal supervised release, sometimes called special or mandatory parole, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Authorities also said the weapon used by Wilson was found to have been stolen in a December burglary in Jefferson City. Wilson was also reportedly being sought for his role in several calls received April 14 about shots fired around the city.
Williams has been charged with second-degree murder, resisting arrest, driving while revoked and possession of a controlled substance. He is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing before Cole County Associate Circuit Judge Cotton Walker at the end of June.
A second-degree felony murder charge can be filed against a person because they were present when the shooting occurred, even though they may not have pulled the trigger, Thompson said.
JCPD asked the Highway Patrol to investigate the officer-involved shooting.
Members of the Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control and an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives interviewed Williams, according to the patrol's probable cause statement. Williams allegedly admitted to driving the vehicle and fleeing from officers and reportedly identified Wilson as his passenger.
Authorities said the officer who was shot was wearing a ballistic vest at the time of the shooting.
The officers involved in the incident were not named by JCPD, nor were they named in the Highway Patrol's probable cause statement. Thompson did not name them in his Wednesday news release and said he had no other comment about the case due to the pending litigation.
The last incident involving a fatal shooting by a JCPD officer was in October 2017. Two officers responded to a domestic disturbance that resulted in a confrontation with a man who charged at them with a pipe, and the officers shot the man. Then-Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson determined the officers were justified in using deadly force in that case.