Sheriff says deputies being harassed after Fizer shooting

The Pettis County Sheriff asks the public for help, days after one of his deputies shot and killed a Sedalia woman.

“We are in the midst of dealing with a tragic event in the death of Hannah Fizer, and my prayers go out to her family and friends. But the onslaught of shock, commercial media coverage, social media outcry, and raw emotion is beginning to devolve into a dangerous situation for our community,” Sheriff Kevin Bond said in an open letter posted online Thursday.

Bond says he and his deputies are getting harassed and threatened. That includes one deputy who the sheriff says has been singled out even though he was not involved in the Fizer incident.

The Highway Patrol is investigating Fizer’s death. A deputy shot and killed the 25-year-old during a traffic stop in Sedalia on Saturday night. State investigators say Fizer threatened to shoot the deputy, but they did not find a gun in her car.

“Are you willing to allow Pettis County to become the test project for some Social Justice experiment for Rural America? I certainly hope not,” Sheriff Bond said in the open letter.