Failure to report a shooting
If someone shoots a gun or weapon and hurts or kills another person, that person must tell a law enforcement officer right away. If no officer is nearby, that person must contact the nearest police station or sheriff's office. Not reporting it is a misdemeanor crime. If that person was already convicted of this same offense before, it becomes a more serious felony crime. A person is not breaking this law if they briefly left to get medical help or call police, as long as they come back or report it within a reasonable time.
Classifications stated in the statute. Actual outcomes vary.
577.068. Failure to report a shooting — penalties. — 1. A person commits the of failure to report a shooting when:
(1) Being in possession of a firearm or as defined in section 571.010, he or she s such firearm or projectile weapon and causes injury or death to another person; and
(2) Knowing that he or she has caused such injury or death, fails to report such shooting to a . If no such officer is in the vicinity where the shooting occurs, the person must provide such to the nearest .
2. Failure to report a shooting is:
(1) A ; or
(2) A if the person has previously been of a violation of this section or any offense committed in another which, if committed in this state, would be a violation of an offense described in this section.
3. A person is not in violation of this section if he or she fails to report a shooting in to obtain or contact law authorities to notify them of the shooting, so long as such person returns to the scene of the shooting or otherwise reports the shooting as provided herein within a reasonable time after the shooting.
4. All law enforcement officers and law enforcement officers shall have to investigate shootings and a person who violates 1 of this section, except that agents may such as to s. For the purpose of this section, a "hunting-related shooting" shall be defined as any shooting in which a person is injured as a result of hunting activity that involves the discharge of a hunting weapon.
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Source & history notes
(L. 1999 S.B. 328, et al., A.L. 2014 S.B. 491) Effective 1-01-17
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