Columbia man charged with felony murder in central city shooting death
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A 19-year-old felon has been arrested in connection with the deadly shooting of a 20-year-old on Wednesday in central Columbia.
Damarius Kavanaugh, of Columbia, was charged with felony murder, armed criminal action, illegal gun possession and tampering with physical evidence after William Riechers of Columbia was found shot dead in the area of Allen and Bryant streets.
A court date has not been scheduled for Kavanaugh. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond.
The probable cause statement says officers had fun a .40 caliber gun near Riechers, along with spent shell casings from the same gun and 9 millimeter cartridges. Riechers lived in the 200 block of Lincoln Drive and was allegedly seen on video walking with Kavanaugh before the shooting, the statement says.
A vehicle was allegedly seen on video pulling up to Riechers and Kavanaugh as they approached north on Bryant Street through the intersection with Allen Street before gunshots were heard, the statement says. Police wrote that Kavanaugh was allegedly seen on video with his arm extended at the vehicle before Riechers fell down.
Kavanaugh had allegedly called a family member of Riechers’ using Riechers’ social media to say Riechers had been shot, the statement says. Kavanaugh and two other people later drove to the hospital, the statement indicates.
Kavanaugh allegedly told police that someone in the aforementioned vehicle pulled up to them and rolled down a window, the statement says. Kavanaugh allegedly “gave conflicting statements” about if someone in the vehicle had shot first before saying he didn’t know who shot first between the person in the vehicle or Riechers.
Kavanaugh allegedly told police that his gun jammed after firing, but was eventually able to get two more shots off before throwing it in a nearby wooded area, the statement says. Officers later found the 9 millimeter gun in a bag with a gun magazine.
Kavanaugh just completed a 120-day prison program for unlawful use of a weapon and felony motor vehicle tampering, along with misdemeanor resisting arrest, last month.
Cameron Chase, a close friend of Kavanaugh and Riechers, tells ABC 17 News the three of them were working to leave behind their troubled past.
"Under no circumstances could nobody break any of our relationships between each other," Chase said. "They were trying to get away from this, the whole thug life that they was in."
Chase explained Kavanaugh and Riechers had known each other since they were children.
"They were going to the store, next thing you know a car came pulling up in the middle of the street and then it stopped. Someone got out and said something to them with the firearm and proceeded to start shooting," Chase said.
