On the afternoon of April 29, 2021, authorities in Springfield, Missouri, were alerted to a violent incident unfolding at a residence on the north side of the city. Officers from the Springfield Police Department were dispatched to the 2200 block of North Kellett Avenue shortly after 12:00 p.m. following a 911 call reporting a shooting. Upon their arrival at the scene, first responders discovered a male victim lying outside the home who had sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
The victim was identified as 47-year-old Ryan L. King, a resident of Springfield.
Investigators with the Springfield Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit immediately began processing the scene and interviewing witnesses to determine the circumstances leading up to the shooting. Their inquiries quickly directed them toward a suspect identified as Phillip Gundersen, a 24-year-old man from Long Lane, Missouri. Law enforcement officials located Gundersen and took him into custody, booking him into the Greene County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder in connection with King's death.
Despite the initial arrest, the legal proceedings took a turn following a review by the local prosecutor's office. On April 30, the day after the shooting, the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office examined the evidence presented by the police but decided against filing criminal charges at that time. Authorities indicated that the investigation would remain active and urged anyone with further information regarding the incident to contact the Springfield Police Department or Crime Stoppers, as detectives continued their work to clarify the events that resulted in the loss of Ryan King's life.
