Randy Nicholus Turner, 44, of Lathrop, Missouri, was fatally shot on June 24, 2023, at Spring Lake Beach in Clinton County after intervening in a confrontation between a man and a 14-year-old. Witnesses and family say Turner stepped in when Ammon Josiah Preston, 33, of Avondale, had the teenager in a headlock. The dispute escalated; Preston reportedly produced a handgun and, during a struggle in which Turner was struck with the weapon, it discharged and a bullet struck Turner in the neck. Deputies and state troopers arrived around 9:25 p.m., and Turner was pronounced dead at the scene.

Preston was located and arrested at the scene and initially held on several outstanding felony warrants from Kansas. Clinton County detectives and the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Drug and Crime Division submitted charges that included second-degree murder, armed criminal action, second-degree assault, and third-degree assault; bond was set at $500,000 cash. Few other details about the investigation are public.

If anyone witnessed the confrontation at Spring Lake Beach or has information about what led to the struggle, please come forward to assist the ongoing case.