No charges will be filed against Jefferson City officers who shot at woman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

No charges will be filed against any of the Jefferson City police officers who were accused of shooting at a woman in March, according to a letter from Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson.

Julie Knehans was dead with a gunshot wound after police opened fire while responding to a burglary on March 7 in the 200 block of Gordon Street.

The letter from Thompson says an autopsy conducted by the Boone County Medical Examiner determined Knehans, 53, shot and killed herself. The letter says the self-inflicted shot was the only fatal wound she had.  

“It is evident from close examination of the body camera footage that Ms. Knehans, who was hidden under a blanket, shot herself before officers, believing she had shot at them, opened fire on her,” the letter says.

Previous reporting indicates officers shot an armed suspect during a burglary in progress.