Couple charged with shooting at neighbor

A couple arrested in connection to a shooting on Quail Drive was charged Friday.

Prosecutors charged James O. Johnson, 45, a convicted felon, with assault in the first degree, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm.

According to Columbia police, Johnson fired several shots at a neighbor who lives two houses from him after an argument Thursday.

Johnson’s girlfriend, Brittany Thurston, 26, is charged with tampering with physical evidence.

Thurston is accused of hiding Johnson’s gun inside a coat pocket in a washing machine after he fired it.

The pair were arrested within an hour of the shooting, after witnesses pointed them out.

Johnson apparently ran from his apartment after handing off the gun to Thurston, and was caught not far away near Highway 63.

Johnson is held on $250,000 bond with a special condition to have no contact with the witness and the victim.

Thurston is held on $20,000 bond with the same restrictions.

The pair were both in Boone County jail awaiting arraignment, scheduled for Monday.