Newsroom

Date of Incident: August 1, 2003
Address of Incident: 1315 E. Cook
Victims: Shameka Wright & Jared Womack

On the evening of August 1st, 2003 the Springfield Police Dispatch received a 9-1-1 call from an unknown hysterical juvenile female caller who reported that her mom had been shot at 1315 E. Cook. A few minutes later a second call was received from an adult male requesting an ambulance because a girl had been shot. The dispatcher attempted to get a name of the caller but he said, “The paramedics are here” and then hung up. Firefighters and ambulance personnel responded to the scene and found a female victim identified as Shameka Wright (DOB 5/02/1980) lying on the couch in the living room bleeding from several wounds to her face and upper body.

Four people were shot, but nobody was killed in three separate incidents of gunfire in Springfield overnight Saturday, police said. One has a suspect in custody, police are requesting your assistance in solving the other three. Click the title or read more to see details of the three incidents.

Springfield, like most other cities in world, found dozens of people collecting virtual Poke Balls in the Pokémon Go game last week and, like many other areas, there was an incident which required police involvement. On July 13 between 9 and 10 in the evening a female was playing the game near 7th and Jackson when she was approached by a black female who had braided hair pulled up into a ponytail. The victim was then tackled by black male who beat her, stomped on her back, and took her blue Samsung cell phone. The victim was treated at the hospital for injuries. Please, always be aware of your surroundings and alert to persons in the area.

This week Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information about a robbery which occurred in the parking lot of Mr. Gyro’s restaurant which is located on Martin Luther King Drive in Springfield. After a couple had made their order inside the restaurant at approximately 8 pm on July 9, the male victim returned to his car to wait for his food. As he approached his vehicle, however, he was attacked by three black males who were in their early 20’s. Two of the suspects were wearing white t-shirts and the third had a blue t-shirt on. All three suspects were slightly injured as the victim defended himself.

Date of Incident: April 5, 2008
Location: 1236 N. Oaklane Road
Victim: Michelle Bianco

Michelle Bianco was last seen and heard from on April 5th, 2008 at her cousin’s home at the 2100 block of South Grand Avenue East in Springfield. At the time Michelle had blond shoulder length hair and blue eyes. She was described as being a white female standing 5’7” tall and weighing 112 pounds. She was reported missing by her boyfriend who discovered her missing when he returned home from an out of town trip on April 6, 2008. No family or friends have spoken to her since she was last seen at her cousin’s home.

Police received information that on the evening of April 5, 2008 Michelle, also known as Shelly, was seen getting into a black Pontiac with a sunroof which was driven by a white male with a small build, black hair over his ears, and an unshaven face. The driver appeared to know Michelle and offered her a ride home which she willingly accepted. She has not been seen or heard from since. Due to the suspicious nature of her disappearance and the likelihood of foul play, Crime Stoppers is presenting this case to the public seeking information for investigators. If information is presented to Crime Stoppers which leads to an arrest of a person responsible for foul play in the disappearance and homicide of Michelle Bianco, Crime Stoppers will pay $5000 cash to the anonymous tipster.