Suspect in Lake of the Ozarks biker club shooting requests venue change
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A man accused in a deadly shooting this summer in Lake Ozark is asking for his trial to be moved to eastern Missouri.
Prosecutors charged Tonka Way-Con Ponder with first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the shootout that killed one man and injured four others during a July event for motorcycle enthusiasts at the Lake of the Ozarks.
A probable cause statement filed in the case says Ponder fatally shot a man identified as B.C. after B.C. pointed a gun at him. Ponder, who was locked in a fight with another person at the time, pulled out his gun and fired at B.C., authorities allege.
A lawyer for Ponder last week filed a motion for a change of venue, asking to move the trial to St. Charles County. The motion did not provide a justification for the request, but the shooting received extensive media coverage in Mid-Missouri.
Ponder is set to be arraigned Dec. 28.
Prosecutors also charged Daniel S. Kurtzeborn of Iberia with illegal gun possession in connection with the shooting. He has a hearing set for Jan. 19.
