Missouri man executed for killing state trooper, marking state's first execution of the year

A Missouri man who was convicted of fatally shooting a state trooper 20 years ago was executed Tuesday.

Lance Shockley, 48, died by lethal injection shortly after 6 p.m. at the state prison in Bonne Terre.

Shockley, who long maintained his innocence, was convicted of killing Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Carl Dewayne Graham Jr. in March 2005. Prosecutors said he waited for hours near Graham’s home in Van Buren before shooting him first with a rifle, then with a shotgun when the trooper exited his patrol vehicle.

In the death chamber, Shockley’s head was elevated on a pillow. He lifted his head and spoke to loved ones in the witness room to his left. A woman appeared to try to converse with him through the soundproof glass.

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After about 90 seconds, Shockley laid his head back on the pillow and appeared to stop talking.

Shockley’s final visitors Tuesday morning were his two daughters and a friend, according to prison officials. His last meal consisted of three packs of oatmeal, peanut butter, water and two sports drinks.

In a written final statement, Shockley cited a Bible passage from the Book of John: "So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you."

Shockley's appeals and requests for a new trial were all denied. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeals earlier on Tuesday.

On Monday, Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe denied his request for clemency.

"Violence against those who risk their lives every day to protect our communities will never be tolerated. Missouri stands firmly with our men and women in uniform," Kehoe said in a statement.

Shockley was convicted in March 2009 and sentenced to death two months later. Prosecutors said he killed Sergeant Graham because he was investigating Shockley for involuntary manslaughter after he left the scene of a deadly accident that killed his best friend.

One of Shockley’s attorneys, Jeremy Weis, said prosecutors failed to show direct evidence connecting his client to the killing.

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"The state’s case remained circumstantial," Weis said last week while discussing the case at the University of Missouri School of Law. "The murder weapons were never found. There were disagreements between the ballistics experts hired by the prosecution."

Witnesses placed Shockley about 14 miles from Graham’s home when prosecutors said he was waiting near the trooper's residence.

Prosecutors countered that Shockley had asked where Graham lived before the killing and tried to dispose of a box of .243-caliber ammunition around the time of the crime, according to court documents.

Shockley is the first person executed in Missouri this year, with no other executions scheduled for the remainder of 2025. The state's last execution was carried out on Dec. 3, 2024, when Christopher Collings was put to death for the sexual assault and killing of a 9-year-old girl.

Shockley was one of two people executed in the U.S. on Tuesday. Samuel Lee Smithers, 72, died by lethal injection in Florida for the killings of two women whose bodies were found in a pond in 1996, extending the Sunshine State's already record number of executions for the year to 14.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Illegal immigrants arrested after ramming Border Patrol in Chicago amid violent clash with protesters

Two illegal migrants were taken into custody on Tuesday after crashing their vehicle into a Border Patrol vehicle in Chicago during an immigration enforcement operation, leading to a clash with protesters, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Luis Gerardo Pirela-Ramirez and Yonder Enrique Tenefe-Perez, both from Venezuela, were detained Tuesday morning for allegedly ramming a Border Patrol vehicle and attempting to flee the scene, according to a senior DHS source.

The incident happened near South Avenue N, according to officials.

"This morning while conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Chicago a vehicle, driven by an illegal alien, rammed a Border Patrol vehicle and attempted to flee the scene," a DHS spokesperson said. "Border Patrol pursued the vehicle and was eventually able to stop it utilizing an authorized precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver. Once the vehicle was stopped, the suspects, who are both illegal aliens, attempted to flee on foot. As Border Patrol arrested the subjects and attempted to secure the scene a crowd began to form and eventually turned hostile and eventually crowd control measures were used."

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"This incident is not isolated and reflects a growing and dangerous trend of illegal aliens violently resisting arrest and agitators and criminals ramming cars into our law enforcement officers," the spokesperson continued. "The fact that this attack was carried out by two illegal immigrants, highlights the need for federal law enforcement to continue to do their job of enforcing the laws of our nation —all while receiving no pay thanks to the Democrats’ government shutdown."

A crowd began to gather following the incident. Chicago Police said they attempted to de-escalate the situation as federal agents were preparing to leave, but people in the crowd began throwing objects.

Federal agents then deployed tear gas into the street, and 13 Chicago cops were exposed to the tear gas.

"Chicago Police Department officers responded to the 10500 block of S. Avenue N at approximately 11:07 a.m. for a call of an auto accident involving federal authorities," the police department said in a statement. "CPD was not involved in any of the federal operations occurring at that location. Upon arrival to the scene, officers documented the traffic crash. Because this incident involved federal authorities, additional CPD supervisors responded to the scene to ensure the appropriate course of action was taken."

"A crowd began to form and as federal authorities were leaving the scene, CPD members attempted to de-escalate the situation for the safety of everyone, including community members who were gathering at the location," the statement added. "Individuals then began throwing objects at the federal agents, at which point the federal agents deployed tear gas into the street. Thirteen CPD members were exposed to the tear gas. Exposure reports will be completed for all CPD members who were exposed to the tear gas."

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement of "recklessly throwing tear gas into our neighborhoods and busy streets, including near children at school and CPD officers."

"The Trump Administration must stop their deployment of dangerous chemical weapons into the air of peaceful American communities," he wrote on X.

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At least one person detained by Border Patrol was a 15-year-old American citizen, attorneys with the law firm Romanucci & Blandin said, according to Fox 32. The boy was "grabbed off a Chicago East Side street," slammed to the ground, kneed in the back and zip-tied by agents at around 12:30 p.m.

The boy was handcuffed and was placed in the back of a vehicle for five hours, the attorneys said, noting that he was not allowed to contact his mother during that time. It was unclear why the boy was detained.

"This is how people disappear in autocracies—grabbed off streets, held in unmarked locations, no calls to family, no stated charges, no due process," attorney Antonio M. Romanucci said in a statement. "A 15-year-old American citizen was effectively 'disappeared' for five hours in Chicago. This is not law enforcement; this is the playbook of authoritarian regimes."

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