St. Louis County police arrest Columbia murder suspect
St. Louis County police took Javion Lawhorn-Wallace, 30, into custody on Thursday night in connection with the Sept. 13 killing of Nadria Wright, 18.
The Columbia Police Department released the information on Friday morning.
Sgt. Benjamin Granda with the St. Louis County Police Department said Lawhorn-Wallace was arrested at about 11:30 p.m. Thursday in the 400 block of Dunn Road in Florissant, which is in north St. Louis County.
Granda said the CPD Special Response Unit helped St. Louis County officers.
Lawhorn-Wallace was charged with second-degree murder, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action in connection with Wright’s death near Forest and Grand avenues.
Lawhorn-Wallace was allegedly driving a white Mercedes SUV the night of Sept. 13 and was seen on surveillance footage driving around in parking lots near the murder scene.
Wright and Sam Baldwin IV, 28, were also driving in the area and were in the McDonalds drive through near Forest and Grand avenues. When the vehicle Wright and Baldwin were in turned on Grand Avenue, Lawhorn-Wallace accelerated his vehicle and pulled next to theirs, court documents said. He then allegedly fired gunshots into Wright and Baldwin’s vehicle.
The gunshots killed Wright and hurt Baldwin.
Police said Lawhorn-Wallace and Baldwin were on opposing sides of a feud, according to court documents.
Police said federal authorities had also been searching for Lawhorn-Wallace.
Lawhorn-Wallace being taken into custody is the latest capture in a string of Columbia violence. Michael Leon Anderson, 28, of Columbia, was arrested last week in connection with the Sept. 14 killing of E’quan Spain, 19, on Park Avenue and Fifth Street.
Aaron Harris is also a suspect in Spain’s death and has not yet been arrested.
After another killing on McBaine and Duncan Wednesday night, James Hickem, 23, was shot and killed. It is unclear if his killing is connected with other shootings in the area. Police did not have any suspect information in Hickem’s death.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the correct arresting agency in Lawhorn-Wallace’s arrest. It was previously misstated due to a sourcing error.
