Two arrested in connection to homicide investigation on East Business Loop
Editor's note: A name was corrected.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia Police confirmed one person died and two people were arrested after an early morning shooting Sunday on East Business Loop.
The person who died was identified as 26-year-old Melvin Hooker III. He was pronounced dead on scene.
Four other people were shot including the arrested suspect, 33-year-old Kimo Deandre Spivey. Spivey was arrested after being released from the hospital. Police said in a Sunday night press release that Spivey is accused of second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm and armed-criminal action. Charges have yet to be released.
Another person, 25-year-old Steven Wayne Grimes, of Columbia, was also arrested. According to Boone County Sheriff's Office online records, he is accused of tampering with physical evidence and unlawful use of a weapon. He was released on bond, which was set at $1,500.
The department sent out a tweet Sunday morning asking the community to avoid the 900 block of East Business Loop as they conduct their investigation and said more information will be available at a later time.
At approximately 2:15 a.m. on May 7 we responded to a report of shots fired in the 900 block of E Business Loop.
— ColumbiaPD (@ColumbiaPD) May 7, 2023
We ask that community members avoid the area and thank them for their patience as we conduct our investigation.
More information will be available at a later time. pic.twitter.com/4NeKww5gHv
Columbia police told ABC 17 News on the scene that it responded to the 900 block of East Business Loop for a shots-fired call at 2:15 a.m. and upon arriving at the scene they located evidence of gunshots.
CPD spokesman Christian Tabak said the shooting left multiple people injured.
Police spent at least seven hours investigating the area and was still on the scene around 10 a.m. Sunday.
An ABC 17 News reporter saw a large parking lot taped off with crime scene tape, several evidence markers, a crime scene investigation van and multiple officers searching the parking lot with flashlights.
Zander Zamora said he was at work inside the local bar and grill Thirsty Turtle when he heard about eight gunshots.
He said that he doesn't feel safe, "I mean it's a shooting right where I work. I feel like it could happen to me you know if it's so close to me, you know why wouldn’t it, It's dangerous," Zamora said.
Within the past year, there have been 27 disturbance calls along the 900 block of East Business Loop, two shots fired calls and two shots heard calls including a woman getting shot in the Plush Lounge parking lot last June. Police have also been dispatched for four suspicious incidents, two suspicious persons and one robbery
Spivey has previous charges of second-degree domestic assault and third-degree assault. A hearing for those charges is set for 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 15 at the Boone County Courthouse.
