Man arrested for shooting at fishermen who were fishing ‘too close’ to his jetty

A drunk man with a .22 rifle was arrested Tuesday for allegedly shooting at a pair of fishermen who were fishing from a boat on a Missouri lake. The two fishermen told authorities that the man, later identified as Levi James Coates, yelled at them for getting too close to his dock and then took aim and fired his gun in their direction. Coats was arrested and charged with multiple felonies, according to court documents filed in Camden County and obtained by Outdoor living.

The incident occurred Tuesday on Lake of the Ozarks, near the town of Sunrise Beach. The Camden County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at 9:04 p.m. from one of the fishermen on the boat, who reported that they had already been threatened by the man. The fishermen later told a deputy that the man had shot them while they were on hold for the 911 operator.

“[We] “We were fishing in the bay for catfish when a man across the bay started yelling and threatening to shoot us if we came any closer to his dock,” one of the victims told Camden County Sheriff’s Deputy David Shoemaker, according to court documents. “At one point I looked back toward the house and saw a man pointing a gun between the house and the car. After seeing this, [the other angler] and I both crouched behind the sides of the boat. A few minutes later a shot was fired as [the other angler] was on hold at Camden County.”

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Shoemaker arrived at 9:19 p.m. and found Coats with a .22-caliber rifle next to him. Coats appeared to be camping outside the residence with a tent and a campfire. During questioning, Coats admitted to shooting into the water but claimed he had not seen any boats in the area.

“[Mr. Coats] “claimed he was shooting to ‘scare’ raccoons away from coming into his tent,” Shoemaker’s affidavit states. “Mr. Coats was asked why he didn’t shoot the raccoons and he stated he couldn’t see the raccoons.”

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Coats was subsequently booked into the Camden County Jail, where he submitted a preliminary breath test that came back positive for narcotics. He also admitted to drinking that night.

Coats now stands for four felony chargesincluding unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action and two counts of first-degree attempted assault. He has entered a plea of ​​not guilty and requested public defender services. His bail was set at $100,000. Court records also show that Coats pleaded guilty in 2022 to indecent exposure in Texas County, Missouri, and was fined $100.