Man charged after downtown Columbia shooting Saturday night
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Prosecutors charged a man Monday in connection with a downtown Columbia shooting that happened over the weekend.
Christopher Michael Sledd is charged with assault, unlawful use of a firearm, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm.
The Columbia Police Department said the shooting happened in the area of Broadway and Hitt Street on Saturday at 11:20 p.m. Police said an officer saw Sledd fire the gun. An officer then fired his gun at Sledd, who then surrendered to the officer.
Police said the officer involved in the shooting is being reviewed by internal affairs to ensure that no policy was broken. Police said no one was hurt in the incident.
According to a probable cause statement filed in the case, a bouncer said Sledd was mad because he couldn't get into The Gold Bar Club. The bouncer said Sledd came back later and tried to come inside before pulling a gun out of his pocket and firing it into the air.
The bouncer said people were running in and outside the club, so he closed the front door of the bar to ensure everyone inside was safe. The bouncer also told investigators this was not his first encounter with Sledd.
Sledd told police his family members had argued with the bouncers of Gold Club and threatened to fight them. Sledd said he saw a gun slipping down the bouncer's pant leg and Sledd then grabbed the bouncer's hand. The suspect states he heard shots and took the bouncer's gun and fired approximately two to three times back.
Boone County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Spencer Smith said Sledd was not legally allowed to have a gun in the first place because he's a convicted felon.
"Mr. Sledd was convicted of possession of a controlled substance in 1990, distributing a controlled substance in 93. Distribution of cocaine in 2000 and um money laundering in 2000. So, he has several prior felony convictions", Smith said.
Smith said this was not Sledd's first interaction with police.
"In September of this year on an unlawful possession of a firearm case. He bonded out in that case and then about a month and a half later he's firing a gun into a business in downtown Columbia," Smith said.
As of Monday night, Sledd was being held in the Boone County Jail on a $1 million bond.
