Jefferson City police investigate BB gun damage to vehicles

Jefferson City police are investigating after several cars were recently damaged by BB gun fire.

Police said people should take a little extra precaution this time of year, as they typically notice an increase in property crime over the summer months.

Police are not exactly sure how many cars were hit by BB gun fire just yet. But so far, they have taken several reports of damage that are not limited to one part of town.

“Friday night we were at home watching a movie and we heard fireworks- we thought we heard fireworks,” Jefferson City resident Becky Wekenborg said. “We didn’t find out that somebody had actually shot my car until Saturday morning when we went to leave and came out and the window was broken.”

Wekenborg told ABC 17 News she rarely hears of vandalism or property crime in her neighborhood on the southeast side of town.

But this weekend, BB gun pellets shattered her Jeep’s entire back window and left several small dents on her back hatch and bumper.

“I just got this car,” Wekenborg said. “It’s less than a month old. So it was pretty upsetting to come outside and somebody had shot it multiple times.”

Jefferson City police said Wekenborg was not the only one who has recently reported vehicle damage.

“It appears that if some BB guns are being used to shoot out windows of cars,” JCPD Capt. Doug Shoemaker said. “In some cases, that might result in a theft from those vehicles.”

Shoemaker said although there has not been a major rash of incidents, it is wise to always lock car doors, keep valuables out of sight and report anything that seems suspicious.

“Late at night when you see vehicles going through your neighborhood, people walking in the neighborhood, something just looks out of place, we’d rather be called and show up and have a presence there, maybe to deter a potential thief,” Shoemaker said.

In 2016, there were nearly 200 thefts from vehicles in Jefferson City with nearly $100,000 worth of items stolen, according to data from the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s website.