2020 Springfield, Missouri shooting

On the night of March 15, 2020, a mass shooting occurred in Springfield, Missouri. Between approximately 11:24 p.m. and 11:43 p.m. CST, multiple emergency calls reported a man driving a black 2019 Volkswagen and shooting indiscriminately at other vehicles in the eastern part of the city. The driver, later identified as 31-year-old Joaquin S. Roman, moved northward before crashing his vehicle at a Kum & Go convenience store on East Chestnut Expressway. He entered the store at 11:43 p.m. and opened fire on people inside, killing three and injuring one.

An employee who was wounded later told the Springfield News-Leader that the shooter appeared to have had a "psychotic break" and delivered a statement about feeling disrespected throughout his life and wanting to inflict pain on others. One person inside the store survived by hiding from the gunman. Springfield Police Department officers Christopher Walsh and Josiah Overton were shot at in the parking lot as they responded to the incident. Walsh was fatally wounded, and Overton was struck twice — one round was stopped by his body armor while a second tore into his shoulder. Arriving officers subsequently found that the shooter had killed himself.

The three victims killed inside the store were identified as 57-year-old store employee Troy Rapp, 46-year-old waste management contractor Shannon Perkins, and 22-year-old customer Matthew Hicks-Morris. The police officer killed outside the store was 32-year-old Christopher Walsh. Store employee Jayme Gilson was shot five times and survived, initially in critical condition before being upgraded to stable condition on March 26. Officer Overton's injuries were described as non-life-threatening.

On March 16, police executed a search warrant at Roman's Springfield apartment; concerns about possible booby traps led a SWAT team to use an armored Lenco BearCat vehicle to enter. Investigators recovered ammunition and magazines for the SKS rifle and Glock pistol used in the attack, both of which had been legally acquired. Seized items included an iPad, a computer, paperwork, and a counterfeit Social Security card. Police worked to determine a motive using Roman's electronic devices and other belongings.

Prior to the shooting, Roman had spoken to his mother about feeling "infiltrated" and had conducted online searches related to mental illness and tactical shooting. His mother had spoken with him by phone shortly before the shooting began and was planning to visit him due to concerns about his mental health. Roman had previously moved from California to Missouri in 2019 and had only minor prior law enforcement contact, consisting of four traffic citations.

A 2023 United States Secret Service report, "Mass Attacks in Public Spaces: 2016–2020," described Roman as holding neo-Nazi and anti-government beliefs that he expressed on social media, where he also helped establish online groups reflecting this ideology. Springfield Mayor Ken McClure and Police Chief Paul Williams offered condolences to those affected, and Kum & Go established a relief fund for victims' families.