Two juveniles wanted in deadly Columbia shooting
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Police are looking for two juveniles in connection with a deadly Thursday night shooting in northeast Columbia
Columbia Police said Friday that they are looking for two juveniles in connection with a deadly Thursday night shooting in northeast Columbia.
The Columbia Police Department said that two male juveniles are wanted in the death of Derek Silvey, 18, in the 3300 block of Premier Lane. Police say they are a threat to the public. It's not known whether they're still in Boone County.
Silvey was pronounced dead at the scene.
In a late Friday afternoon release, Columbia police say detectives know that people in the community are withholding the whereabouts of the juveniles.
One neighbor who asked to remain anonymous told ABC 17 News on Friday that just before the Thursday shooting she heard people yelling, then gunshots and people running. She said she saw Silvey on the ground and attempted to save his life by doing CPR until police arrived and immediately tried to find the suspects.
There have been two other shootings on Premier Lane in recent years -- one in July 2022 where property damage was found and another in September 2020 where a 19 year-old was shot.
City leaders and community members are concerned over a recent trend in crime in the city.
On Monday, police said Kejuan Allen, 22 was killed in a stabbing at Douglass Park. Demetrice M. Tatum was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in Allen's death.
"They're still babies, somebody is still hurting...not just family," the Rev. James Gray said. "If you know something, say something because it could be your family...you got these families right now that's going to have to make arrangements for their loved ones and it hurts, that hurts."
Ward 5 City Councilman Donald Waterman said he finds the recent crime unfortunate and concerning, because it makes members of the community feel unsafe. Waterman said a large part of his election campaign was in ensuring the police department is fully staffed.
As of February, CPD had 49 vacancies, 38 of which were sworn officer positions. Waterman said he believes getting staffing levels to full capacity could help in reducing violence in the city.
"Right now basically what we need to do is just simply I think, the more immediate things we could do is staff the police department so that we have the police presence," Waterman said.
Gray said he doesn't believe police are given enough credit for arresting previous suspects. He said community members need to step up and work to reduce violence in the city.
The city had previously said it plans to form an Office of Violence Prevention. The city is working with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform to help determine how to move forward, and looking into other cities with similar programs.
Gray said while he understands looking at what's worked for other cities, he thinks the city needs to shift their focus toward directly asking the youth in Columbia what they need to prevent violence.
"We got to start teaching them how to live and understand that life is so precious and it (violent crime) could happen to any of our families," Gray said. "We got to take our school system and we got to really invest into our kids., because at the end of the day, me as an adult I feel somewhat accountable when this stuff happens."
