In the winter of 2019 in Springfield, Missouri, a dispute over a misplaced cell phone tragically escalated, leading to the death of 45-year-old Jamie L. Carroll. On the evening of February 21, police were called to a residence on North Johnston Avenue where they found Carroll with a gunshot wound. He was rushed to a local hospital and underwent immediate surgery, remaining in critical condition for several days.
The investigation into the shooting identified Keeton H.
Waring, a 31-year-old Springfield man, as the suspect. According to prosecutors, Waring had been at the home earlier and accused several people of stealing his cell phone. He left the residence only to return shortly after, armed with a shotgun. Waring reportedly pointed the weapon at another man, at which point Jamie Carroll intervened. In an act of bravery, Carroll attempted to de-escalate the situation by pushing the barrel of the shotgun away and moving Waring into a bedroom. It was during this struggle that Waring fired the weapon, striking Carroll.
Following the incident, Waring was arrested by Springfield police on February 27, 2019. Carroll, a resident of Springfield, tragically succumbed to his injuries on March 6, 2019. Initially held on first-degree assault charges, the charges against Waring were upgraded to second-degree murder following Carroll's death.
In November 2021, Keeton Waring was sentenced for his role in the fatal shooting. A Greene County judge sentenced him to life in prison for the second-degree murder of Jamie Carroll. In addition to the life sentence, Waring received a concurrent sentence for his other actions during the incident.
