Miller County charges murder suspect after Lake Ozark shooting

Miller County Prosecutor Benjamin Winfrey has charged Gary Sweet with murder, assault and armed criminal action in connection with a double murder in Lake Ozark.

According to court documents, shortly after midnight on Nov. 8, Lake Ozark police were called to Riverview RV Park in response to 911 calls about gunshots.

The court documents say police found a male resident with what looked like gunshot wounds and his wife, both residents at the park. They told officers the bullets were shot into their RV that night. The wife told police the husband was hit by projectiles coming into their RV. She was not hurt. The RV has damage outside that police believed to be the result of gunshots. The husband was taken to the hospital for treatment.

The Mid-Missouri Major Crimes Task Force was active and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies went to the RV park to investigate.

While searching the park, police found two people dead inside the building that held the RV park’s office with a residence upstairs.

The victims were found lying in bed with apparent gunshot wounds. A door to the building showed signs of forced entry.

During the investigation, Gary Sweet was identified as a person of interest. The husband and wife who first met with police told officers the victims were managers of the park and Sweet was a former resident but was evicted last month.

Lake Ozark Police Department records indicate Sweet was arrested for simple assault on the managers on Oct. 19.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol contacted Sweet at his Phelps County home around 3 a.m. Nov. 8. Sweet allegedly told the trooper he’d been home at the time of the shootings, however the trooper said Sweet’s truck engine felt warm to the touch, indicating to the trooper the truck was recently operated.

A ping of a cellphone associated with Sweet indicated it has been near cell towers in the Lake Ozark area around the time of the shooting.

Police found spent shotgun shells in the RV park. A search warrant at Sweet’s Phelps County residence found a shotgun and matching ammunition to that found in the RV park.

Surveillance video from the RV park showed a white male who matched Sweet’s description coming into the back of the home. The video then showed the person walking to the trailer and shooting at the side of the RV. Clothing found in Sweet’s home matched the clothing the person on video was wearing.