Fourth man charged in Columbia shooting

COLUMBIA. Mo (KMIZ)

A fourth person has been charged for their role in a shooting in Columbia on Aug. 2.

Walter Ricketts, 43, of Columbia was charged on Aug. 12, but not made public until after his arrest on Tuesday.

He is charged with two counts of armed criminal action, one count of first-degree assault and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. He is currently being held in the Boone County Jail on no bond. No court date has been set yet as of Wednesday morning.

Ricketts is accused of being one of four people who participated in a shooting at the Interstate 70 and Highway 63 interchange that left one man hurt.

Mechoal Lewis, Chase Ricketts and Montrez Ricketts have also been charged for their alleged roles in the shooting. It is unclear who shot the gun from court documents.

Montrez Ricketts, 47, of Columbia, is also facing charges of first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. He is also being held in the jail on no bond.

Chase Ricketts, 19, of Columbia, was arrested Friday on charges of first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action. He is also being held at the jail without bond. The younger Ricketts was arrested after police served a search warrant at Lakewood Apartments.

Lewis, 52, of Columbia, was charged a few days after the shooting but was indicted by a grand jury on Sept. 11 for seven felonies, including first-degree assault and illegal gun possession.

Court documents said the victim was shot in the mouth. Lewis allegedly told police he was the driver while Chase Ricketts was in the back seat.

Chase Ricketts is charged in a separate June 2026 shooting with felony evidence tampering for allegedly disposing of a gun.