LAKE OZARK, Mo. – Charges against a Hickory County man accused in a deadly shooting at a bar in Lake Ozark in 2021 appear to have been dropped, although prosecutors will not confirm that or comment on the case.
Felony assault and armed criminal action charges were filed against Tonka Way-Con Ponder of Preston after he was involved in a shooting that left a man dead outside the Casablanca Bar and Grill on July 15, 2021.
Online court records of the case against Ponder have been removed from Casenet, the website that tracks court cases in Missouri.
Calls seeking clarification about the case to prosecutors’ offices in Miller County where the death occurred and to the special prosecutor in the case that was transferred to St. Charles County on a change of venue have resulted in “no comment” responses.
A probable cause statement released when charges were filed suggests a fight between members of two opposing motorcycle clubs was at the heart of the incident.
Authorities said at the time they had surveillance video that shows a man identified as B.C. pulling a gun on Ponder outside the bar.
The court document says Ponder then drew his gun and shot B.C., who died at the scene.
Authorities say more gunfire then erupted between members of each motorcycle club, with bullets hitting Ponder and another victim.
Authorities say the video shows Ponder wounded but reloading his weapon and firing at another man, identified as T.C., who had his hands in the air.
OzarksFirst will update this story if emails sent to prosecutors result in further details about the case.