Boone County deputies speak with alleged gunman in fatal Thursday night shooting; charges not filed, arrest not made in killing
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office said in a Friday night social media post that it has spoken with the alleged gunman in a fatal Thursday night shooting in the Lakeview Mall parking lot.
The sheriff’s office wrote earlier on Friday that a 42-year-old St. Louis man died from injuries suffered in the shooting in the 5600 block of Clark Lane.
“The person believed to be responsible for shooting and killing the victim has been identified and interviewed; however, they have not been arrested or charged for causing the death of the victim in this case,” the sheriff’s office wrote on its Facebook page. “Due to extenuating circumstances that need to be further investigated, we will not be providing further information at this time specific to why the shooter has not been arrested or charged for causing the death of the victim.”
The sheriff’s office wrote that an argument “over payment for beverages” preceded the shooting. The argument “led to a series of events that culminated in the victim being shot outside the parking lot” outside of Jake’s Bar and Grill.
Another man who was allegedly connected to the incident was arrested at 4 p.m. Friday, the sheriff’s office wrote. Steven Jones, 45, of Columbia, was arrested on suspicion of unlawful gun possession. The charge has not appeared on Casenet.
"Jones has not been charged with any crime specific to causing the death of the victim in this case," the release says.
Jones also had an active Boone County warrant for 2023 charges that include unlawful gun possession, unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action and third-degree assault. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond on those charges. A court date has not been set.
Jake's Bar and Grill extended condolences on Friday to the victim's family.
"On behalf of Jake's, we want to send out our condolences to the family for their loss during that unfortunate incident last night," Jake's Bar and Grill Operations Manager Alena Ryakhmyatullov said. "We also want to thank the support from Boone County Sheriff and EMS for all their help last night. We are currently assisting the police in the investigation. But we do want to share that this happens way too much, unfortunately. We want to help the community and support the community so things like this can be prevented in the future so that we can build a safer place for people."
Check back for updates.
