Spent shell casings found in an SUV had been fired from the same gun as those found at the scene of a fatal shooting Tuesday night, according to court documents, leading to murder charges filed Monday against two men. Darold D. Pruitt, 45, and Devontre D. Kennedy, 23, each were charged with second-degree murder, second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon. Pruitt also has a misdemeanor resisting arrest charge and is being held at the Boone County Jail on a $1,025,000 cash-only bond....

Hide caption Mackenzie Quiovers A Boone County prosecutor on Monday filed notice that she will pursue felony murder charges against two women accused of carrying out a kidnapping plot that resulted in the death of a 13-year-old girl. Tracy Gonzalez, Boone County first assistant prosecuting attorney, filed a motion in circuit court asking a judge to approve an amended complaint adding the charge of second-degree murder against the two women. The charges against Mackenzie N. Quiovers, 22, and...

For the third year in a row, the average response time increased for the Columbia Fire Department, with 2016 reaching an eight-year high of seven minutes and 35 seconds, according to data provided by the department. The 2016 average is 14 seconds longer than in 2015, and reasons behind the increase are similar to years past: The city continues to grow, with nearly 120,000 permanent residents, and the fire department has not seen comparable growth. It has had nine stations around the city...

Despite a 7 percent decrease in satisfaction with local police services, resident satisfaction with Columbia's public safety services overall was unchanged from 2015 to 2016 at 67 percent, according to results from a survey of 960 city households. The 67 percent satisfaction rate is still far below the 87 percent satisfaction rate reported in 2005, though respondents to the city's latest survey still felt optimistic overall about safety in the city. The city conducted its eighth...

The Sturgeon Board of Aldermen voted 3-1 to fire Greg Halderman during a closed hearing in which Halderman had more than a dozen witnesses speak on his behalf. A law enacted in 2013 changed the way police chiefs in Missouri can be removed. It affords them due process and made it a requirement that the entity that wishes to remove them give notice of a hearing on the matter. It also says that there must be "just cause" to fire a police chief. Andy Hirth, Halderman's attorney, said the board...