Columbia Police Department officer gets Medal of Valor

A Columbia Police Department officer has been given the state’s highest award for a public safety officer for the fatal shooting of an armed man.

Gov. Mike Parson gave Officer Chris Papineau and other public safety officers around the state the Medal of Valor during a ceremony Tuesday in Jefferson City. Papineau fatally shot Clarence Coats Jr. on May 13, 2017, after Coats had fired a shotgun from a residence then climbed to the roof of a building several blocks away. Two officers had been hit by shotgun pellets in the response, and an official investigation found Papineau shot Coats as he was in a shooting position on the roof with a pedestrian walking into his firing path.

The investigation found Coats had been on methamphetamine and that he was threatening to kill or wound police. Police were cleared of wrongdoing in the investigation, but Coats’ family said there were inconsistencies in witness accounts of the shooting.

In giving Papineau the award, Parson’s office said he acted to protect innocent people from a gunman who had fired at civilians and officers and who refused to negotiate with police.

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