§ 577.068 RSMo – Failure to Report a Shooting in Missouri

Posted by Christopher Combs on July 22, 2025

577.068. Failure to report a shooting — penalties.

You must report a shooting if someone gets hurt or killed

This law says that if you shoot someone—by accident or otherwise—you must report it to the police, or it’s a crime.

1. You commit the offense of failure to report a shooting if you:

Have a gun or projectile weapon and shoot someone, causing injury or death; and
Know you hurt or killed someone and don’t report it to a law enforcement officer (or the nearest agency if no officer is nearby).

2. Penalties for not reporting a shooting are:

Class A misdemeanor for a first offense.
Class E felony if you’ve been found guilty of this offense before, even in another state.

3. You’re not guilty of this crime if:

You leave to get medical help or to notify law enforcement—
As long as you return to the scene or report the shooting within a reasonable time afterward.

4. All law enforcement officers can investigate and arrest for violations of this law. Conservation agents can enforce it in hunting-related shootings (when a hunting weapon accidentally injures someone).