SPRINGFIELD, MO – A New Year’s Eve party in Springfield turned violent, leaving four people hospitalized with gunshot wounds, and now a man hired as security is facing federal charges. Timothy Johnell Smith, 37, of Republic, Missouri, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for illegally possessing a firearm, replacing a previous criminal complaint filed earlier this month.
According to court documents, deputies with the Greene County Sheriff’s Department responded to multiple calls for service at The Barnhouse on January 1, 2024. Smith and his wife were working as security for the New Year’s Eve celebration when reports of shots fired began to flood in. The scene was chaotic, with six people ultimately injured, four requiring transport to local hospitals due to gunshot wounds.
Witnesses at the party claim Smith attempted to break up a physical altercation between several individuals and, in the process, discharged an AR-style rifle into the ceiling. Additional gunshots – reportedly four to five – followed. Law enforcement recovered the weapon, identified as a Bear Creek Arsenal rifle, near a storage area. Smith allegedly admitted to carrying the rifle for “intimidation.”
But Smith’s security gig came with a significant legal hurdle: he’s a convicted felon. Court records show prior convictions for burglary, receiving stolen property, and theft of a motor vehicle, making firearm possession illegal under federal law. The indictment alleges Smith possessed the rifle sometime between December 31, 2023, and January 1, 2024.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan is prosecuting the case, with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Greene County Sheriff’s Department leading the investigation. The charges against Smith are accusations at this stage; he is presumed innocent until proven guilty at trial.
This case is being touted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” initiative, a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence by fostering community trust, supporting local organizations, and focusing enforcement efforts. Whether that translates to safer streets remains to be seen, but for now, Smith faces the consequences of being a felon caught with a firearm at a party gone wrong.
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