Names of victims, suspect released in Saturday night triple shooting in Boone County

The victim in a triple shooting in Boone County is no longer being treated at University Hospital.

44-year-old Willie J. Mays was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head. Jeff Hoelscher, a spokesman for University of Missouri Health Care, says Mays was treated and has been released from University Hospital.

53-year-old Deborah W. Koontz and her brother 51-year-old Donald R. Wilson were pronounced dead at the scene on Santa Anna Drive.

The suspect in the shooting, 28-year-old Cornelius “C.J.” Parker, was killed after exchanging gunshots with a sheriff’s deputy.

All victims and the suspect lived together at 4426 Santa Anna Drive.

Detective Tom O’Sullivan with the Boone County Sheriff’s Department said Sunday evening that emergency workers found Koontz lying in the driveway, where she died. O’Sullivan said Mays and Wilson were inside the home.

“We believe Mr. Mays and Ms. Koontz were in a relationship,” O’Sullivan said, “but what sparked this whole incident, we don’t know at this point. We’re still trying to see if we can develop a motive.”

When deputies and ambulance workers arrived, they found Koontz dead in the driveway to the duplex, O’Sullivan confirmed. They later found Mays and Wilson inside the residence.

Meanwhile, the Missouri State Highway Patrol was looking into the shooting between Parker and the deputy.

“He is a well-respected veteran officer,” O’Sullivan said of the patrol sergeant that killed Parker. “He’s been with the department coming up on 12 years. He’s a member of our SWAT team, and a very highly regarded officer.”

O’Sullivan said the 32-year-old patrol sergeant also teaches firearms courses for the Sheriff’s Department. He would not release the name of the sergeant since it is a part of the State Highway Patrol’s investigation.

The scene started Saturday night on Santa Anna Drive in Boone County, just east of the Columbia city limits, shortly after 10:00 p.m. Witnesses told police they heard multiple shots fired and saw a suspect leaving the scene in a white four door vehicle.

Law enforcement said the suspect spun out trying to turn onto Highway 63 southbound at Broadway. They say he then got out of the car and fired shots at a deputy, who then fired back and killed the suspect.

Highway 63 and Broadway was shut down for hours Saturday night, extending into Sunday morning.