Man pleads not guilty in connection with downtown Columbia mass casualty event

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Todd Nesbitt Jr. pleaded not guilty Friday morning in connection with a Nov. 14 shooting outside of Vibez nightclub that killed one and injured five.

A grand jury indicted Nesbitt on charges of first-degree assault, armed criminal action as well as resisting arrest. He entered the not-guilty plea during his arraignment at 9 a.m.

Police said after responding to the scene they saw two people shooting at each other, one of whom was Nesbitt.

One suspect ran south and began shooting into a crowd of people before ultimately being shot and killed by police, while Nesbitt ran north and wasn't caught until later that day.

The Columbia City Council held a community briefing shortly following the shooting, with Columbia Police Chief Geoff Jones and the owner of Vibez nightclub addressing the violence in downtown Columbia.

The City Council met again Monday, with Columbia/Boone County Health Director Stephanie Browning discussing the possible contributing factors to the rise in downtown violence as of late.

In the last three months, ABC 17 News has reported on at least eight shootings in downtown Columbia. Half of the responses were near Vibez.

Four of the eight shootings saw at least one person hit by gunfire, including when two people were shot following the University of Missouri's homecoming game in October.