Investigators: Columbia homicide victim, suspected killer were arguing in car before shooting
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Prosecutors on Tuesday charged a Columbia man with multiple felonies after they found a woman's body in a car Monday.
Columbia police arrested Montez L. Williams, 31, on suspicion of first-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, child endangerment and resisting arrest, the Columbia Police Department said in a social media post. Williams is accused of killing April Joann Brooks, 42, of Cuba, Missouri, according to police.
Police blocked off part of Blue Ridge Road in north Columbia on Monday after finding Brooks dead from a gunshot wound in a car, CPD says. Williams was later arrested. He was in the Boone County Jail on Tuesday afternoon on no bond. An initial court hearing had not been scheduled Tuesday afternoon.
Prosecutors charged Williams on Tuesday with six felonies -- the five that were recommended by police and shooting from a vehicle.
(1) At approximately 6:45 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 14, Columbia Police were dispatched to the 2700 block of Blue Ridge Road in reference to a death investigation. Officers were advised an individual discovered a vehicle running in the area and believed the driver was deceased. pic.twitter.com/9sIqBPfHI2
— ColumbiaPD (@ColumbiaPD) November 15, 2022
Police found Williams and his child inside a home with a person who had spoken with other people Monday, according to a probable cause statement. A witness told investigators that Brooks and Williams were arguing in the vehicle and that someone told Williams to get out, the statement says. Williams then shot Brooks, police say.
Officers used surveillance video from a residence that showed a muzzle flash inside the car while it was parked on the side of the street Sunday night. Two people can be seen leaving the vehicle with a child after the shooting, according to police.
Police pulled Williams over Monday in the 2400 block of Paris Road and he drove away, according to the statement. The chase ended after police flattened Williams' tires on East St. Charles Road. Williams had a gun when he was arrested, the statement says.
Williams allegedly admitted to shooting from the backseat of the vehicle.
Williams has previous arrests for drug possession, trespassing and domestic assault, among other crimes, police say in the statement. He is on probation for drug and gun convictions, according to the Missouri Department of Corrections record.
Audrain County Prosecuting Attorney Jacob Shellabarger said his office was seeking to revoke Williams' probation there on a felony gun charge, as well. Shellabarger said he planned to ask for a seven-year prison sentence.
In CPD's social media message, police highlighted the work of shelters such as True North, saying "many of the recent homicides investigated by our department have included elements of domestic violence."
Check back for updates to this developing story.
