Man charged in relation to Homecoming shooting in Downtown Columbia

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man is facing several charges in relation to a shooting that occurred Oct. 21 on Hitt Street.

Donye Jackson was charged Wednesday with first-degree assault, attempted armed-criminal action and attempted unlawful use of a weapon – discharging into a church. Jackson is not in custody. No bond is set.

When officers arrived to the area, they identified someone – referred to as JB in the probable cause statement –with a gunshot wound to his arm/shoulder. JB was listed as an innocent bystander, who was walking with his parents Downtown during Homecoming weekend.

Shortly after, two gunshot wound victims were found, BB and RJ. BB has a gunshot wound to his right leg, RJ had a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

Officers spoke to BB on Oct. 22 at his residence about the shooting. BB stated he was in the parking lot by his car, east of the convenience store No Gas. He stated a group of men got close to his vehicle, which made him upset, according to the probable cause statement.

He told police he got into an argument with them and one of the men allegedly showed he had a black handgun and an AR-style gun. BB said two men started shooting at him, according to the probable cause statement.

His friend, JR, told police BB and a group of men were in an argument about the men being near BB’s vehicle. He then allegedly said the men started shooting at them and he ducked behind BB’s car before running towards the No Gas parking lot. He told police that while he was running, a bullet whizzed past his head. The probable cause statement claims video footage from First Presbyterian Church aligned with what they said.

Shell casings were found and entered into the National Integrated Database. They matched a shell casing that came from a gun owned by Jackson, who was previously stopped by the Boone County Sheriff’s Office with that specific gun in 2021, the statement says.

Detectives conducted a “self-initiated subject call” on Dec. 13 and Jackson had the gun then, as well. A search warrant for Jackson’s cellphone was conducted. Jackson’s phone allegedly used the cellphone tower in the 1200 block of Paquin Street about 40 minutes before shots were fired. About three and a half minutes after shots were fired, his phone used a cellphone tower near North Providence Road and Business Loop 70 East, according to the statement.

The probable cause statement claims two people were involved with Jackson: EJ and RJ. RJ was one of the people with gunshot wounds.

ABC 17 News has been in contact with one of the victims, Jason Berry, noted as "JB" in the probable cause statement since the shooting occurred last fall. Berry is a student at the University of Missouri and underwent two shoulder surgeries since the incident.

Berry said that he is in much better health since being a victim of the shooting and that he is grateful to be alive.

"I'm doing great," Berry said. "There's no need to worry about my health right now. I'm doing just fine."

He credits the Columbia Police Department and emergency services for responding to the incident quickly that night. He also added that he believes the police department handles crime well.

"They are totally all hands on deck. Especially with what's going on down in Columbia. There's been quite a heighten in crime recently and I'm just glad that they're doing their jobs successfully," Berry said.

With the downtown Columbia area being a place known to draw large crowds, Berry said he thinks anyone planning on going downtown should not do so alone.

"It could be you one day," Berry said. "Just keep an eye out, and always use the buddy system."

Berry has been completing classes virtually since the shooting.