Family of man killed Saturday reacts to sheriff’s department update

A Columbia man killed Saturday night was shot after entering a residence “unlawfully” and threatening another person, the Boone County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday.

Deputies were sent to the 5700 block of Limoges Drive east of Columbia at 11:17 p.m. Saturday on a shots-fired call. Ahmonta Harris, 26, died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds, the department said.

An investigation showed Harris was armed with a handgun, entered the residence to commit a robbery and threatened a 20-year-old resident, the sheriff’s department said in a news release Wednesday. The 20-year-old then shot and killed Harris, the release said.

A family member of Harris’ told ABC 17 News that they questioned the sheriff’s department account. The member requested their name not be used out of fear that Harris’ shooter is still not in custody. The family member said stories and evidence they have heard from people around the scene have led them to doubt that Harris was a would-be intruder. They said Harris was trying to sell tickets on Saturday night to a concert he was to perform in later that week.

The investigation remained open and the findings will be submitted to the Boone County prosecutor’s office for review, the release said. The department will release no other information pending that review.

Harris was a city employee and had become known for his work on community issues. He was also an organizer of an annual “fireworks war” in Boone County that had drawn the scrutiny of police and sheriff’s deputies.

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