Pettis County Sheriff addresses community response in wake of woman’s death
SEDALIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Pettis County Sheriff posted an open letter to county residents Thursday morning less than a week after a woman was killed in Sedalia by a sheriff's deputy.
Sheriff Kevin Bond said in the post some members of the community are taking advantage of the situation following the death of 25-year-old Hannah Fizer on Saturday.
"We are beginning to see people who are willing to resort to criminal behavior and taking advantage of this situation to turn it into social chaos," Bond said.
The post continued.
"I need you to stand with me and not tolerate unreasonable behavior. I need you to step up to support and defend the rule of law," Bond said.
Bond said a deputy not involved in Fizer's death has been singled out in social media posts and targeted for "harassment, stalking, and has been threatened with serious assault."
The sheriff added that some county residents have been disseminating deputies addresses. Bond said members of the community have called for his removal from office, even extorting him and threatening to release his personal information if he does not step down.
As of Thursday, the sheriff's office had not released the name of the deputy involved in Fizer's death.
Investigators said the deputy involved in the shooting reported that Fizer threatened to shoot him and that she had a gun during a traffic stop.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control said this week no weapons were found inside of Fizer's vehicle. Bond has said the deputy wasn't wearing a body camera at the time of the shooting.
Bond said the sheriff's office had body cameras in 2016 but had to sideline them after an expensive hard drive fix.
Social media posts showed a protest in memory of Fizer in front of the sheriff's office on Tuesday. Protesters have said another protest is planned for the same area Thursday evening.
