In the early morning hours of June 13, 2022, the life of 27-year-old Dewayne 'Ed' Wessel was cut short in a fatal shooting at a residence on County Road 527, west of Gainesville, Missouri. Ozark County Sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call from the shooter, 42-year-old Brian Dunaway, at approximately 4:35 a.m., reporting that he had shot and killed Wessel. Upon their arrival at the Theodosia area home, deputies discovered Wessel's body on the floor inside the residence and, despite attempting life-saving measures, he was pronounced dead at the scene at 6 a.m. by the Ozark County Coroner.
The events leading to the deadly confrontation began to unfold as Dunaway witnessed a domestic assault between Wessel and his girlfriend. According to Dunaway's account to law enforcement, he intervened, telling Wessel to stop, at which point Wessel charged at him. Dunaway stated that he fired his black semi-automatic handgun in self-defense. The dispatcher's log from the 911 call indicated that Dunaway reported Wessel was intoxicated, talking about suicide, and then began choking and trying to kill his fiancée.
During the investigation, law enforcement located a container with a crystalline substance believed to be methamphetamine in the recliner where Dunaway had been sleeping. Dunaway admitted to using methamphetamines the night before the shooting. This discovery complicated the claim of self-defense and led to more severe charges.
Initially, Brian Dunaway was charged with second-degree murder, felony possession of a firearm and methamphetamine at the same time, and felony possession of methamphetamine. He was held in the Ozark County Jail without bond. However, the legal proceedings concluded with a different outcome. While the act was viewed in the context of defending another, Dunaway's methamphetamine use prior to the incident led to a conviction on a felony count of voluntary manslaughter. In December 2022, Brian Dunaway was sentenced to five years of unsupervised probation for the shooting death of Dewayne Wessel.
