Seven law enforcement officers were injured when a porch gave way during a high-risk warrant operation in Huntsville, Missouri.
HUNTSVILLE, MO — Newly released video shows law enforcement officers suddenly plunging to the ground when a second-story wooden deck collapsed beneath them during a warrant operation in central Missouri, an incident that sent seven officers to hospitals with injuries authorities said were not life-threatening.
The collapse occurred July 21 as members of a law enforcement team were serving a high-risk arrest warrant at an apartment building at 402 Vaunita St. in Huntsville, according to the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office and local news reports. The operation included deputy U.S. marshals, members of the North Missouri Drug Task Force and local law enforcement personnel. No civilians were reported injured.
Video of the incident, released publicly weeks after the collapse, captures the officers standing together on an elevated wooden deck before the structure abruptly drops beneath them. The group falls with sections of the deck into debris below, and other officers move toward the collapsed structure to help. The footage provides a close view of an accident that authorities had previously described through statements and accounts from the scene.
Steven Lewis, the U.S. marshal for the Eastern District of Missouri, told ABC 17 News after the collapse that seven officers were injured, including four deputy U.S. marshals and other members of the law enforcement team. All seven were taken to hospitals for treatment. Lewis said the injuries included broken bones and other injuries consistent with a serious fall, but officials said none was considered life-threatening.
Lewis said the collapse happened so quickly that the officers had almost no opportunity to respond. He said someone at the scene described the deck as dropping almost like a trap door instead of pulling outward from the building. The sudden vertical collapse left officers falling along with the structure beneath their feet.
The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office said the Moberly Area SWAT Team, the U.S. Marshals Service and supporting personnel were conducting law enforcement operations when the porch failed. The sheriff’s office said the circumstances surrounding the structural collapse were being documented as part of the overall incident. Authorities did not initially announce a cause for the failure.
Officials said the warrant operation continued despite the collapse. Lewis told ABC 17 News that two people were taken into custody that day, including one person at the apartment complex and another person who was not there during the initial operation but was located later. Authorities said the warrant operation and related criminal investigation remained active.
Local reporting from the scene showed that part of the second-story deck was missing after the collapse, leaving several upstairs apartments without their normal access. People were later seen using a ladder while removing belongings from part of the building. A property caretaker told ABC 17 News at the time that management was helping arrange accommodations for residents of affected units.
The newly circulated footage has renewed attention on the July incident, but officials have not publicly announced a final determination of what caused the deck to fail. The injuries were reported as non-life-threatening, and the sheriff’s office said its documentation of the collapse was part of the continuing review of the operation.
Author note: Last updated August 19, 2026.