Joplin

In 2022, Joplin Police sniper Keaton Siebanaler mistakenly shot and killed 2-year old Clesslynn Crawford during a hostage standoff. For almost four years, the city of Joplin fiercely guarded the identity of "Sniper 1." But KCUR and The Midwest Newsroom fought in court to name Siebanaler — who was just hired by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

After a two-year court battle, Sniper 1 can finally be identified as Keaton Siebenaler. KCUR and The Midwest Newsroom have confirmed he departed the Joplin Police Department in August and graduated from the MSHP academy last week.

Joplin officials recently passed an ordinance banning the practice after noticing out-of-state vehicles dropping off homeless people. Columbia adopted a voluntary ride home program. But with homelessness rising, rural areas lack the resources to help residents.

The case hinges on whether Sniper 1’s safety outweighs the public’s interest in knowing the name of the Joplin, Missouri, police officer who killed two-year-old Clessie Crawford in Baxter Springs, Kansas.

The lawsuit alleges the hospital violated state nondiscrimination laws and a federal law that requires hospitals to treat or stabilize patients in a health crisis before transferring or dismissing them.

Two years after Clesslyn Crawford was shot by a sniper, her case has gained attention from true-crime podcasts and prompted outcry in Joplin, where residents want the shooter's name released to the public.

In March 2022, a Missouri sniper shot and killed a toddler in error, acting — according to experts — contrary to training and best practices.

Two years ago, a Kansas toddler was shot and killed by a Missouri police sniper. Why did the officer take the shot? A KCUR and Midwest Newsroom investigation reveals the chain of events that ended in the death of Clesslynn Crawford.

A KCUR and Midwest Newsroom investigation reveals the chain of events that ended in the death of Clesslynn Crawford in March 2022.

A Missouri hospital violated federal law by denying Mylissa Farmer an abortion when her water broke at 17 weeks. She was also turned away by the Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas, where doctors affirmed that her condition was serious but also denied her an abortion.

Missouri's abortion ban contains only one exception, not for rape or incest, but for "medical emergencies." But the law is vague on what that means — and that's a problem for hospitals, since performing an abortion could carry a felony and prison time. It's also a problem for patients in critical need of care.

A Missouri woman who was denied an abortion prompted an unprecedented federal investigation into whether a hospital violated the law by failing to provide her medical care.