Violent 2019 led to increased local, federal cooperation in Columbia

Police tape blocks a portion of Nelwood Drive as officers investigate a shooting that left a man with non-life-threatening injuries. Jan. 16, 2025. — KMIZ

By Olivia Hayes

Published January 30, 2026 5:47 PM

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Within the first month of 2026, Columbia has seen six shootings, two deadly.

Minors were involved in at least two of those incidents.

Columbia Police Department officers on Thursday found two victims, one with life-threatening gunshot wounds and one with minor injuries, after a north Columbia shooting. Officers investigated three locations: the Casey’s convenience store on Clark Lane, the area near Victory Church on Ballenger Lane, and the 4500 block of Alan Lane.

The violent stretch has led to renewed calls for immediate action to stop the bloodshed. It's not the first time that a lot of violence in a short time has sent the issue to the top of public discourse in Columbia.

In 2019, Columbia hit a 20-year high with 12 deadly shootings, one of which was later declared justified. Six of those killings happened within a violent two-week time frame in September.

One of those killed was 23-year-old James Hickem. Police were sent to a shots-heard call on Sept. 25, 2019, in the area of McBaine Avenue and Duncan Street. Police found Hickem with gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead. Police have still never arrested his killer.

To try to curb the bloodshed, Mayor Brian Treece formed the Violent Crimes Task Force in 2020, with a law enforcement-focused strategy. It was made up of Columbia and University of Missouri police officers, ATF agents and Boone County sheriff's deputies.

The task force recovered 55 guns from people who were prohibited from having them and made a number of arrests. It was disbanded in 2021 after the state of Missouri passed the Second Amendment Preservation Act, which created penalties for local law enforcement officers who enforce federal gun laws.

A federal judge in March 2023 determined SAPA violated the U.S. Constitution. Courts objected to SAPA’s language declaring certain federal gun laws unconstitutional, a provision that led to the entire law being struck down. However, the task force has not been brought back together.

And now, conservative lawmakers are moving a revamped SAPA through the Missouri General Assembly.

Multiple bills are being heard in Missouri Senate committees after a bill passed the House last year but fell victim to end-of-session maneuvering over other issues that stalled the Senate.

Law enforcement officials from across Missouri testified in opposition to the proposed legislation last session, including representatives from police departments in Branson, Rolla, Versailles, Columbia and other cities.

In late September 2025, Mayor Barbara Buffaloe agreed to create a task force to address crime in Columbia, after it was requested by University of Missouri System President Mun Choi, following a deadly downtown shooting that killed Aiyanna Wiliams and hurt two others. The shooting happened on Sept. 27, which was the weekend of MU’s homecoming.

About a week after her announcement, Buffaloe told ABC 17 News in an interview that she was no longer putting together a task force to address downtown crime.

Another cooperative effort to curb violence in Columbia is the Violent Crime Abatement Team, which was formed on Jan. 1, 2025. The team holds monthly meetings at the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Local agencies and prosecuting offices involved in the discussions are:

Columbia Police Department;
Boone County Sheriff's Office;
MU Police Department;
Boone County Prosecutor's Office;
Jefferson City Police Department;
Cole County Sheriff's Office;
Cole County Prosecutor's Office;
Callaway County Sheriff's Office;
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives;
Federal Bureau of Investigation;
Drug Enforcement Administration;
Internal Revenue Service

The City of Columbia is now working with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform to study violent crime in the city.

The city will pay more than $290,000 for the research, according to city council documents. The institute will also analyse which organizations are active in community violence intervention and how they serve people in need.

Office of Violence Prevention Administrator D'Markus Thomas-Brown said the study would use crime data from the past one to two years and show city leaders where violence intervention and prevention are needed. The results would be available within four to six months once the institute receives Columbia's data.

In the meantime, the Columbia Police Department is ramping up enforcement of misdemeanor offenses downtown in an effort to reduce violent incidents in that area. The department is also redeveloping a full-time dedicated downtown unit, but Chief Jill Schlude said resources don't allow for it until this summer.

Learn more about the James Hickem homicide case in "Mid-Missouri's Cold Case Files: The Case of James Hickem at 6 p.m. Wednesday on ABC 17 News.

Previous Cold Case Files stories

CPD is investigating 17 unsolved homicide cases with 19 victims dating back to 1985. ABC 17 News has covered eight cases in our "Mid-Missouri's Cold Case Files" reporting.

Article Topic Follows: Special Report

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