UM System President Mun Choi sent out a call to action to Columbia and Boone County leaders Saturday to better address crime in Columbia, according to an email Choi sent to University of Missouri faculty, staff and students.
In the statement sent Sunday morning, Choi said Columbia's crime problem has come to a "crisis point."
"While the efforts of MUPD and others at the University of Missouri have kept our campus safe, the proximity of downtown and the frequent presence of our students there make this an issue of great importance for me and the University," Choi wrote in the email.
The message comes after a shooting early Saturday morning in the 900 block of East Broadway left two women and one man injured. Columbia police said one of the women sustained life-threatening injuries. Stephens College issued a news release Sunday saying the woman, Aiyanna Williams, has died.
Choi said the shooting is just another example of the "rampant crime problem that we are witnessing on a daily basis."
Choi asked for immediate actions to be taken, including:
- More policing downtown
- Hiring of more security officers
- Elimination of policies and practices that attract criminals to the region
- Passing of a loitering ordinance
- Cleanup of homeless encampments
- Prosecution to the full extent of the law for crimes
Choi said he also asked Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe to establish a task force of city, county, university and business leaders to develop new policies to improve safety in downtown Columbia. Buffaloe said in a statement posted to social media Saturday that she will convene the task force.
"The long-term solution will also require the collective efforts of the entire city and county organizations working together with the university and the business community," Choi wrote in the email. "I am ready to serve and bring the resources of the University of Missouri to bear. We cannot wait to have another tragic outcome to act."