Three suffer minor injuries in shooting outside north Columbia gas station
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia police taped off a shooting scene outside a north Columbia gas station Wednesday after three people suffered minor injuries in a shooting.
More than a dozen evidence markers could be seen on the ground. At least 10 Columbia Police Department officers with supporting personnel were at the scene outside a Break Time gas station on Smiley Lane.
An ambulance was also at the scene. The parking lot was taped off with crime scene tape.
A woman and two minors suffered minor injuries when shots were fired around 5 p.m., Columbia Police Department spokesman Christian Tabak said. He said police don't believe there's a threat to the public, but they have no suspect information. No arrests have been made.
Boone County emergency dispatchers sent an alert asking the public to avoid Smiley Lane west of Range Line Street because it was closed for the police response. The crime scene tape came down and Smiley Lane was reopen a little after 6 P.M.
On Tuesday, police were sent to two shots-fired scenes in north Columbia, one on Range Line Street and at the Links apartments on Clark Lane. The Links scene was tied to a juvenile who checked into a hospital with a gunshot wound, police said.
Tabak said they are still investigating if the scenes are related.
All three shootings were within a few miles of each other on the north side of Columbia. Tabak said the department is working to create a game plan to keep residents safe.
"Whenever there is a chain of these kinds of events in an area, we do take that in consideration when it comes to extending resources and multiplying forces in the area," Tabak said. "Obviously, if you have a dispute, don't resort to gun violence. There's always a better way that protects you, the individuals involved, and bystanders in our community at large."
