Special prosecutor to review Columbia police shooting case
UPDATE, 9:15 p.m.: Callaway County prosecutor Chris Wilson confirms he has received the reports from Knight’s office. Wilson tells ABC 17 News he has not made a decision on the case yet, but hopes to complete his review by the end of the month.
ORIGINAL: The Boone County prosecutor has asked a neighboring prosecutor to review a shooting case involving Columbia police officers.
Prosecutor Dan Knight tells ABC 17 News he asked Callaway County prosecutor Chris Wilson to decide whether or not the officers were justified in shooting at Troy Bateman on January 18. Bateman died during a traffic stop on Oakland Gravel Road.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control took over the investigation of the shooting shortly after the incident. An autopsy confirmed that Bateman died from a gunshot wound, but troopers believed it was self-inflicted, according to a press release on January 19.
Knight said he requested Wilson take the case on March 24, shortly after the patrol finished its investigation and forwarded the case to his office. Knight has previously tapped other prosecutors, including Wilson to review law enforcement-involved shootings in Boone County.
Wilson did not return a request for comment Monday afternoon.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol sought Bateman as a suspect in a shooting on January 15. The patrol said Bateman drove away from an attempted traffic stop when he crashed his car in Saline County, and then opened fire on a trooper before running away. Bateman was wanted at the time on a parole violation.
