Columbia officials seek holistic solutions to downtown crime

City of Columbia officials have met with University of Missouri President Mun Choi to discuss plans to address crime in downtown Columbia. Leaders said multiple solutions are needed to address the problems Choi mentioned in a letter sent over the weekend.

Mayor Barbara Buffaloe has spoken with Choi, Police Chief Jill Schlude, MU Police Department Chief Brian Weimer and other local leaders since Aiyanna Williams, a Stephens College student and part time nurse on MU Health’s cardiovascular team, was killed in a shooting downtown early Saturday morning.

Buffaloe posted to Facebook after the meeting saying she plans to honor Williams and other victims of gun violence through “meaningful action.”

“Changing current circumstances that allow easy access to guns by youth and people who are prohibited from owning firearms, improving access to resources and working with our businesses to avoid creating an environment that attracts negative behavior will take a comprehensive approach,” her post read.

In a letter Tuesday, Police Chief Jill Schlude said violent crime downtown is disproportionately higher than in the past.

“The connection between late-night social activity and violence is clear, and that is where we continue to focus our efforts,” the letter read.

However, this year’s statistics show some signs of improvement. There have been 58 confirmed incidents of shots fired so far in 2025, compared to 105 during the same night-month period in 2024. The letter said CPD has investigated six fewer homicides than last year, according to Schlude’s letter.

"While gun violence remains a serious concern, the downward trend is a positive sign,” the letter read.

CPD launched a downtown enforcement initiative after the last shooting downtown in June. It focuses on addressing misdemeanor crimes that often precede violent incidents.

Office of Violence Prevention Involvement
D’Markus Thomas-Brown is Columbia’s administrator for the Office of Violence Prevention. Created in late March, the office focuses on addressing the root causes of violence in the city and supporting long-term community health and wellbeing.

Thomas-Brown was not included as a recipient of Choi’s initial email but did attend a Tuesday meeting. He said the community should start by acknowledging the trauma and loss experienced by Williams' family and the community.

“We have a daughter of a family, a sister, a niece, a granddaughter [whose life] has tragically been ended to gun violence,” he said. "That should be first and foremost from any voice."

His office looks at crime through a trauma-informed lens. CPD has a liaison that serves on the office’s advisory committee. Thomas-Brown said the community should know that steps like increased patrols and community engagement events have already helped curb crime downtown.

“Hopefully, they get the full picture and understand what's going on,” he said. “A situation like...early Saturday morning is not the trend for Columbia. Columbia is not on fire.”

“One of the major [suggestions] is just being accessible and reachable by the community,” he said. “They’ve been doing that. They've been downtown, they've been accessible when it comes to my office and the community.”

Thomas-Brown said incidents like Saturday’s shooting should be used to address the root causes of violence.

“We should ask what we can do with the resources—whether it be the city, the university or anybody else for that matter—to make sure that this family heals and is able to move forward as we're in the grips of mindless violence,” he said.