Police: Gun shots on Coats Street

Columbia Police confirm to ABC 17 News they were already the scene of Coats St. and North Blvd. when they heard gun shots.

According to Columbia Police, officers were called to the area about a disturbance. Information from the Boone County Joint Communications indicated there were several people fighting in the street. When officers got there, they saw a a large group pf people in the street on North Boulevard. Two women were fighting.

When officers started to approach the fight, they heard gun shots. The crowd slowly started to leave the area. Police did find shell casings in the area, in the parking lot of Tom’s Imports, an auto store on Coats Street. There have been no reports of any one being hit by the bullets and there was no blood found at the scene. Officers are still investigating the shooting.

We checked with the police dispatch and this is the second time gun shots have been heard in the same area in just the last week. There has also been more than one hundred calls to the area over the past year.

ABC 17 News crews spoke with the owner of Tom’s Imports. He says people that visit the bars in the area leave trash in his parking lot almost every night. He says during the daytime the area is great but a “nightmare” after 2 a.m. He also says he’s spoken with the city council and the Columbia Police about the situation before.

Crews also spoke with a resident of the area that said she heard the gunshots earlier this morning. Philandra Robinson said, “I heard the shots, and got up and checked that my kids were okay. I kind of looked outside and saw the police, and that assured me that things were alright.”

Columbia Police are asking anyone with information to come forward.

Stay with ABC 17 News as we continue to follow this story.