One man hospitalized after shooting in Downtown Columbia Sunday morning
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
One man was hospitalized following a shooting in downtown Columbia early Sunday morning.
According to a press release from the Columbia Police Department, officers in the area heard gunshots near 10th St. and Broadway Blvd. around 2:50 a.m.
The release states that before officers arrived, a man was taken to a local hospital by a personal vehicle with non-life threatening injuries. Officers found evidence, including shell casings at the scene.
There is currently no suspect information at this time, according to the release.
ABC 17 News saw law enforcement from the Columbia Police Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol and Boone County Sheriff's Office in the area between 9th and 10th St. on Broadway Blvd. around 3:00 a.m., Sunday.
Crime scene tape blocked off the intersection of 9th St. and Broadway, extending up to Cherry St. and 10th St. Crime scene tape came down around 5:10 a.m.
A Boone County Joint Communications alert was sent out at 3:22 a.m. stating that E Broadway was closed from Providence Rd. to Short St. for a police incident.
Some residents who live downtown said when moving to Columbia, they didn’t expect to encounter so many shootings.
Ellie Compson, who has lived downtown for a couple of years said she was made aware of the shooting as it happened.
"I heard some noise, and people were around it," Compton said.
Compton stated she has not personally witnessed a shooting firsthand but has occasionally seen the aftermath. Compton said despite crime in the area, she still feels safe.
"I feel safe. I’m from the Chicago area, so I grew up in places that weren’t always the safest," Compton said.
On the other hand, Gianna Lapasso, who recently moved downtown in August, shared a different experience.
"I haven't had a great experience because at night especially, I don't feel safe down here," Lapasso said.
Lapasso also said she feels the downtown area lacks a large police presence.
"There's never really a police presence down here, but there's a lot of like people drinking, a lot of homeless people a lot of things going on, but there's no police presence," Lapasso said.
