Citizens For Justice

07/04/2026

Happy 4th! Stay safe out there tonight!

07/04/2026

Last September I went to grab the link from one of the Firework War videos, only to discover the entire Citizens For Justice YouTube had disappeared. YouTube support wasn't much help and I never got a clear explanation for why the page disappeared. 13k subscribers isn't a lot in today's world of influencers and content farming but we worked hard for that following of active, engaged viewers. You guys never hesitated to jump head first into lively comment debates and followed along with the stories that many other people didn't know or didn't want to know about.

We've restarted the page from scratch and hope you'll subscribe again to follow us on wherever this journalistic journey takes us next. I can't tell you how active we'll be with the new page or when we'll get the archive videos reposted, but I can tell you this:

There's a new Firework War video and if you have 6 minutes to spare, you won't be sorry.

Happy 4th and remember… The mortars can't hurt you if you know how to duck 😁🎇🎆

For nearly a decade, Citizens for Justice has documented the Columb...

07/05/2025

Happy Fireworks War season to those who celebrate!

The Firework Wars are a tradition dating back to the late-1990’s/early-2000’s in Columbia, MO. Residents take to streets to launch commercial grade fireworks...

05/24/2024

At one point during the interrogation, the investigators even threatened to have his pet Labrador Retriever, Margosha, euthanized as a stray, and brought the dog into the room so he could say goodbye. “OK? Your dog’s now gone, forget about it,” said an investigator.

Detectives grilled Thomas Perez Jr. for 17 hours, deprived him of medications and threatened to have his dog killed if he didn’t confess to killing his father, who was actually alive.

05/24/2024

Bodycam footage shows the interaction a Sturgeon police officer had with a 13-pound, blind-and-deaf Shih Tzu before he shot the dog to death.

The officer makes several attempts to capture the dog that were unsuccessful. The dog does not try to bite the officer in the video and does not growl at the officer.

A total of three minutes, and six seconds occurs in the video from when the officer first initially gets close to the animal and the first shot being fired.

A statement obtain by ABC 17 from the person who contacted Joint Communications, but wished to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation from the city wrote:

"I cannot stress enough this animal was in no way a threat to others! Woodson discharged his weapon MULTIPLE times in a residential area without a threat presenting itself, without warning."

Viewer discretion is advised for the full-length video. STURGEON, Mo. (KMIZ) Bodycam footage shows the interaction a Sturgeon police officer had with a 13-pound, blind-and-deaf Shih Tzu before he shot the dog to death. ABC 17 News requested bodycam footage from the city of Sturgeon for an Officer Wo...

05/23/2024

The dog's name was Teddy. He was a 13-pound Shih Tzu that was about 5 years old. He was born deaf, but lost his sight about two years ago. Teddy's owner, Nicholas Hunter, said Teddy was full of energy his entire life.

The person who found Teddy called Boone County Joint Communications and told them the dog was not a threat, according to previous reporting. Teddy was sitting next to them and drinking water waiting for an officer.

Sturgeon, MO City Hall. 573-687-3321
Sturgeon, MO Police. 573-687-3300
Sturgeon, MO Police Fax 573-687-3474

STURGEON, Mo. (KMIZ) The owner of a blind and deaf dog who was shot and killed by a Sturgeon police officer on Sunday has filed a complaint with the city of Sturgeon. According to a Monday social media post from the City of Sturgeon, police were called to an area for a report of "an injured

01/06/2024

"Chism has been paid $72,487.90 since his suspension on June 9."

Suspended Callaway County sheriff Clay Chism continues to collect pay from the county weeks after admitting to driving while intoxicated.

07/24/2023

"Do not release the dog with his hands up!" a trooper can be heard yelling multiple times before Speakman releases the dog.

The video shows the dog running toward Rose, who comes to his knees as Speakman releases the dog.

Video appears to show the dog biting and pulling Rose by his arm as he screams loudly.

Jadarrius Rose is seen on video during the July 4 traffic stop with his hands up surrendering to police before an officer deploys his canine.