Second teen charged in October shooting near Indian Hills Park
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A second teenager has been charged in relation to a shooting that occurred Oct. 12 near Indian Hills Park in Columbia.
Tyler Lopinto, 17, of Columbia, is charged with first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, armed-criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. An initial court appearance was held Monday.
Another Columbia teenager, Anthony Smith Jr., 17, was charged last month with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A confined docket hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday; while a preliminary hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2.
Police on Oct. 12 closed off the intersection at Kelsey and Shamrock drives after someone was shot and crashed a vehicle into several parked vehicles in the area.
Columbia police say the victim was shot in the chest, according to a probable cause statement. The victim allegedly told police that he was shot during a drug deal over marijuana.
The victim said two people pulled guns on him during the deal and was shot by one.
He gave police a phone number related to “TextNow,” which is a phone application that can be accessed on devices through our free applications for use over WiFi, according to the application’s website.
Information on the number through TextNow provided a username of “luhant89” with a name “Luh Ant,” attached to it. “Luh Ant” is a known alias of Smith’s, according to the probable cause statement.
Information from the application showed the device with that phone number went to a residence in the 300 block of Garth Avenue after the shooting took place.
During a traffic stop, a Columbia police officer recovered a cellphone and obtained a search warrant for the phone. The phone allegedly belonged to Lopinto, according to the statement.
Prior to the shooting, Smith allegedly told Lopinto he would be going to Arena Liquor on Ballenger Lane and detectives obtained video footage from the business that showed a matching description of a person given from the shooting.
The officer found text messages from Lopinto on Oct. 12 that said “I need wheelz” “Ta dis stain.” “Stain” is slang for “robbery.” He sent another text message indicating he was with Smith about 50 minutes before the shooting occurred, according to the probable cause statement.
Two minutes after the shooting, Lopinto allegedly sent a pair of text messages to someone saying “Just took sun Down. Sum*."
In November, police reviewed Lopinto's cellphone to review his location on Oct. 12 and it was determined he allegedly was at, or near, the area where the shooting occurred around the time it happened, according to a probable cause statement.
