Charges filed against 2 men arrested in Grindstone Walmart shooting
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Felony charges have been filed against both of the men Columbia police arrested in connection with a Sunday night shooting at the Walmart on Grindstone Parkway in south Columbia.
Antory Tervez Lee King, 25, of Columbia, was charged on Monday afternoon with first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court date was not set.
Michael Christopher Otey Jr., 27, of Columbia, is charged with shooting at a vehicle, three counts of armed criminal action, two counts of first-degree assault and a single count of drug possession. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court date has not been set.
The probable cause statement in King’s case says officers responded to a shots-fired call at 6:40 p.m. Sunday. Officers viewed video that allegedly showed the victim “M.C.O” pull into a parking spot in the lot and another vehicle driven by a “K.K.” drive around the parking lot before “M.C.O. and M.O. approached” the Trailblazer, the statement says.
“M.C.O.” allegedly pointed at “K.K.” and yelled at them before walking up to the portion of the vehicle where King sat, the statement says. “M.C.O.” allegedly punched King in his face and ran to his own b vehicle and the Trailblazer drove off.
Officers wrote that “K.K.” told them that another person “F.M.” got out of the vehicle and went into the Walmart. “K.K.” went to “M.C.O.” “to see what his problem was,” court documents allege.
“K.K. stated she blocked M.C.O.’s vehicle in because she was trying to get WalMart security’s attention,” the statement says.
“He hit my husband first, and my husband picked the gun up and shot him,” K.K. was quoted in the probable cause statement.
King allegedly told police that he approached the vehicle to try to deescalate the situation, the statement says. King allegedly told police that “M.O.” was holding the gun at the time he was punched, court documents allege.
The Walmart was back open Monday morning after the shooting. Columbia police officers blocked off the Walmart parking lot with crime scene tape shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday. Customers inside the store were evacuated through a side door into the parking lot at around 7:13 p.m.
One Walmart employee told an ABC 17 News reporter on scene that staff could leave, except those in the grocery section. Officers and Walmart employees stopped customers from entering. Eight Columbia Police cars and two University of Missouri ambulances were in the parking lot during the response; one ambulance left with its lights on around 6:55 p.m.
A Crime Scene Investigation van arrived at the Walmart at 7:05 p.m. Witnesses inside the Walmart at the time of the shooting told ABC 17 News that he was checking out when someone yelled "shots fired," and customers started running to the back of the store.
Around 9:35, officers escorted people to their cars and told them to leave if they were parked in the taped-off areas.
Crime scene tape started coming down at 10:25 p.m.
Check back for updates.
