One in custody after shots were fired in parking lot of Conley Road Walmart in east Columbia
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Multiple police and fire units were parked outside a Columbia Walmart store Friday evening after police responded to a shots-fired call.
A Columbia Police Department spokesman told ABC 17 News at the scene that two people -- a man and a woman -- were initially detained at the scene and no injuries were reported. CPD spokesman Brian McNeill said at 6:40 p.m. that the man who was detained was let go after being interviewed.
Police were called to the store for shots-fired at about 5:20 p.m., he said. McNeill said there were two crime victims but gave no other details. McNeill also confirmed the shots were fired in the parking lot. He also stated that there's no threat to the public. The scene was cleared by 7 p.m.
A witness, Vincent Rogers, said he saw a woman with a gun acting erratically in the parking lot. The woman tried to carjack a vehicle, firing shots inside it, he said.
"Then the white car pulled up like just a few minutes after we did, and was getting out and walking down the same aisle and I was walking towards the lady who had a gun," Rogers said. "And, the lady went to the car, tried to carjack it, said to the lady 'get out of the car or I'm going to kill you.'"
Another man, Doug Tallon described seeing the incident.
Tallon said he was getting out of his vehicle when he heard a gunshot and claimed he saw what looked like a man holding a weapon that was pointed into another vehicle that had its door open. Tallon said he remembers hearing more gunshots, causing him to take cover behind a fire truck, where he saw the large police presence.
"I did notice a male walk past behind us...there was two other white males yelling at him towards the police back this way," Tallon said. "Before that, there was a vehicle that pulled up and then they started talking to them and the male and then the vehicle...then the vehicle ran off."
Tallon and Rogers both said this shooting, as well as other recent crime in the area has made them think about the safety of their families moving forward. Rogers said he has five children and a wife at home, which made the situation scary thinking that he could have been the victim.
Tallon said he plans to move out of Columbia with his family and sell his home that he bought in 2020 because of recent violence.
"...Try to move out into the country, my kids go to school here and it's not great," Tallon said.
ABC 17 News observed damage to the front passenger door window of a grey car in the parking lot.
At least five Columbia Police Department cruisers and fire trucks from Boone County and Columbia were outside the store on Conley Road in east Columbia. Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers were also at the scene.
McNeill said he could not confirm if an attempted carjacking occurred.
