West Plains, MO. – Late Wednesday evening, police responded to the sound of gunfire taking place in West Plains. One 48-year-old man was found dead on the scene due to multiple gunshot wounds, and investigation is ongoing.
The West Plains Police Department have issued an official press release regarding the incident, which will be posted unedited below.
On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 9:20 PM, Officers were in the 1200 block of Jackson Street when they heard several gunshots coming from the area of Columbus Drive. Officers began an immediate search of the area when they received a call from a citizen in the 1200 block of Columbus Drive reporting that a male had been shot and was laying on their porch.
Officers arriving on the scene located an unresponsive, forty-eight-year-old male on the front porch of a residence. Medical personnel responded and the subject was pronounced deceased from apparent gunshot wounds. During the investigation Officers learned that the disturbance started at a residence nearby, and a female shot the victim multiple times.
The names of the parties involved are being withheld pending notifications of the next of kin. The female suspect has been arrested for First Degree Murder and Armed Criminal Action. The matter has been referred to the Howell County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for the filing of formal charges. There is no remaining threat to the community.
The West Plains Police Department would like to thank members of the Howell County Sheriff’s Office who assisted in the crime scene investigation.
Criminal charges, and any discussion thereof, are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
