Accessory to murder charge refiled again for Jefferson City man
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Prosecutors have refiled several felony charges against a Jefferson City man, including a charge of accessory to felony murder.
Semaj Harris, 26 of Jefferson City, was charged on Wednesday with accessory to second-degree felony murder, accessory to fist-degree robbery, illegal gun possession, armed criminal action and accessory to tampering with evidence. Charges were previously refiled in 2019, according to previous reporting.
He was also charged on Wednesday with accessory to aiding and abetting a person shooting at or from a vehicle, unlawful possession of a gun and armed criminal action. Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson told ABC 17 News in an email that charges were refiled for "procedural reasons."
A warrant was requested for his arrest on Wednesday and a criminal summons was issued on Thursday. An initial court appearance was scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 28 at the Cole County Circuit Court." He was not listed on the Cole County Jail roster on Thursday afternoon.
According to one of the probable cause statements, Harris allegedly took part in a drug deal on Nov. 19, 2018, to a residence in the 1900 block of Stadium Boulevard. Harris allegedly told law enforcement that he forced the door of a residence open while a co-defendant was fighting over a gun inside the home, the statement says.
Harris allegedly pointed a gun at a witness and told him to stop fighting, the statement says. The victim allegedly chased Harris and the co-defendant outside the home and was killed after being shot, according to court documents.
In a probable cause statement for the cause with the accessory to aiding and abetting charge, Jefferson City police were investigating after a shooting at Community Park on May 5, 2021. Officers found three shell casings on the ground.
According to court documents and previous reporting, surveillance video from the park showed Tyrone Seals shooting a gun towards Dunklin Street. Harris then drove himself and Seals from the scene, court documents say.
Police said on May 7, 2021, the same SUV that was seen leaving the scene committed a traffic violation leading to a traffic stop. Police said Seals admitted a gun was in the car, resulting in himself and Harris being arrested.
Court documents state during an interview Harris allegedly told police he was at the park when the shooting happened. Police said Harris admitted to driving Seals from the scene after the shooting happened.
Harris pleaded guilty to multiple felonies years ago, making him ineligible to having a gun. Harris pleaded guilty in 2019 to stealing and was sentenced to five years in prison. He also pleaded guilty in 2018 to leaving the scene of an accident and receiving stolen property and was sentenced to five years of probation
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