Police identify man killed in shooting at Columbia park

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia police identified the man who died after being shot Tuesday night in a central city park.

Columbia Police Department Lt. Matt Stephens said the shooting claimed the life of Corey Jordan.

Another man, Rickey Lee Murry, 48, of Columbia, was charged Wednesday with murder and armed criminal action. Bond was denied.

Watch a Columbia Police Department news conference in the player below.

Murry ran from the park after the shooting and was not in custody Wednesday afternoon, Stephens said. Police believe Murry has left Columbia, Stephens said.

Police were sent to Douglass Park at 400 N. Providence Road at about 8 p.m. on a call of shots fired. Three Columbia Police Department officers crashed on the way to the call and suffered minor injuries.

Stephens said about 100 people were in the area when police arrived. Officers found Jordan, identified as C.J. in a probable cause statement, at the park. He later died at the hospital.

A witness said Jordan and Murry had been in a dice game when an argument broke out, according to the statement. Murry walked away but came back to the area about 15 minutes later, the statement said.

The witness allegedly told police that Murry was "creeping around and hiding behind trees and vehicles" before getting into a confrontation with Jordan and shooting him, according to the statement.

Other witnesses said they spoke with Murry on the phone after the shooting and that he admitted to the crime, according to the statement.

Stephens said the tips about the incident were not anonymous tips from Crimestoppers. He said that there are a lot of people that are afraid to talk, but on the flip side they are not interested in having violence in their community. 

One resident ABC 17 News reached out to said they did not want to comment on the incident due to personal safety concerns for them and their family. 

“You've got them teetering on that edge between what to do,” Stephens said. so. When you start to get those...relationships established. Then there's a barrier of trust that all of a sudden you cross that line and now we're on the same page fighting for the same goals. And that's, that's an example of what this look like.”

Community activist Glenn Cobbins said this incident has caused people to feel eerie as many people were about and anyone there could've been hurt.

He said people who know information that may help need to speak up. 

“It’s not the enemy’s voice that hurts you,” Cobbins said, “It’s the friend that stays silent that hurts. That’s what it is. The enemy is loud, he can’t hurt you, but it’s the friend that stays silent who knows he’s the enemy. That’s the voice that’s hurting people out here.”

Stephens said for those who don't want to come to the police face to face or may be afraid, Crimestoppers is a great outlet to not provide personal information but to still deliver that message.

“That's how you eliminate problems,” Stephens said. “And how you solve crimes effectively and efficiently, because you've got probable cause for this and in under eight hours.”

Cobbins said in these types of incidents it's not just the victims family that loses, but the suspects family too.

“At least two families they lose,” Cobbins said. “This guy was somebody's son, somebody's grandson. He was a good guy. We grew up together to see him not here anymore. I don't like it. And the other side who murdered him. I don't like that either.”

CPD Chief Geoff Jones said the community outreach officers will begin to be more present and ask for input from residents in areas where crime occurs to help reduce more incidents from happening.

“We have fallen short as a police department in the past by not taking action based on some of those recommendations,” Jones said. “And obviously we can't act on every recommendation that we get, but I do anticipate seeing more action. The officers are invested, and I think you'll see more of that as we move forward.”

The motion by prosecutors to set Murry's bond at $1 million cash-only says he is on probation for failure to pay child support. Prosecutors say Murry has been convicted of assault, illegal gun possession, felony stealing and domestic assault.

The bond memo filed Wednesday says Murry is a flight risk and authorities have not found him.