Anglers fishing in cove when man opens fire on them from shore in Ozarks, MO cops say
A pair of anglers were fishing for catfish on the Lake of the Ozarks when a man started shooting at them from shore, Missouri police say.
The fishermen were on a boat, in a cove near Sunrise Beach at about 9 p.m. on Aug. 20, when a man started yelling at them from shore, they told the Camden County Sheriff’s Office, according to court documents.
The man, later identified as Levi Coats, was threatening them, saying if they came any closer to his dock he would shoot them, documents said. There was a house near the shore, with a car, a tent and a campfire close by, and that’s where the yelling was coming from, the fishermen told deputies.
“This went on for a couple minutes” until one of the anglers called 911, they told deputies, adding that Coats continued threatening them, according to documents.
“At one point I looked back over at the house to see a man aiming a gun,” documents said.
The fishermen took cover behind the walls of their boat and a gunshot rang out, according to investigators. They were on hold with 911 when the shot was fired, the complaint said.
About 15 minutes after receiving a 911 call, deputies arrived and found Coats outside the home with a rifle beside him, documents read.
“Levi appeared to be camping outside the residence and had a fire going,” according to deputies.
Coats was taken into custody and, during an interview, told deputies he fired the rifle to defend his tent from raccoons, deputies said. According to documents, Coats said he was “unaware of any boats” and only shot into the water, to “scare away” the raccoons.
“Mr. Coats was asked why he did not shoot the raccoons instead and he stated he could not see the raccoons,” documents read.
Deputies said he was given a breathalyzer test at jail and he “admitted to jail staff that he had been drinking.”
Coats is charged with assault, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action — all felony charges, records show. No attorney information was listed for him.
His bond is set at $100,000, records show.
Sunrise Beach has a population of about 430 and is a roughly 140-mile drive southeast from Kansas City.
This story was originally published August 22, 2024 at 1:57 PM with the headline "Anglers fishing in cove when man opens fire on them from shore in Ozarks, MO cops say."