Jefferson City man charged after shots fired over weekend

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Prosecutors have charged a Jefferson City man with three felonies after finding shell casings near a downtown park.

Police were sent before 7 a.m. Sunday to the 600 block of Linn Street after receiving multiple calls of gunshots being fired, according to a Jefferson City Police Department news release. Witnesses described the shooter and a vehicle to officers, who pulled over a vehicle matching the description about two blocks away, according to the release. Officers arrested the passenger, who matched witness descriptions of the shooter, JCPD said.

Officers also found several shell casings and a gun near the shooting scene, according to the release.

Earnest Woodiest is charged with being a felon in possession of a gun, firing a gun while intoxicated and armed criminal action in connection with the incident.

A probable cause statement in Woodiest's case says police found the casings and gun in front of an apartment where Woodiest's family lives. Woodiest's girlfriend told police that Woodiest fired the gun into the air after an argument.

Woodiest was jailed without bond. A lawyer for Woodiest was not listed in online court records.