Columbia juvenile pleads guilty to assault charges in 2024 shooting, sentenced to 8 years in prison

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 17-year-old pleaded guilty to a pair of felony counts on Tuesday in relation to a 2024 shooting at a Columbia apartment complex.

Ja'Mez Thompson-Bey, of Columbia, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree assault and was sentenced to eight years in prison. He was previously charged with two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action and single counts of unlawful use of a weapon and armed robbery.

Court documents in previous reporting allege that Thompson-Bey shot at two people in a vehicle on Nov. 23, 2024, at The Links apartment complex after demanding “everything the victims had.” Someone had allegedly fired a shot back at Thompson-Bey, previous reporting shows.

Thompson-Bey allegedly went to an emergency room and gave a fake name to hospital staff, court documents in previous reporting say.

One of the shooting victims identified Thompson-Bey by his first name for police and investigators verified his identity by looking at Instagram, according to the statement.

Previous reporting also shows Thompson-Bey was accused of escaping from a juvenile facility in May 2025.

He is currently being held at the Boone County Jail.