Homes and vehicles sustained damage after multiple shots were fired in northwest Columbia early Sunday morning, leaving investigators reviewing a chaotic downtown scene where a crowd of about 200 people had gathered.
The gunfire erupted at approximately 1:50 a.m. on Sunday, according to a three-page probable cause statement filed by the Columbia Police Department. According to 939theeagle.com, the violence began immediately after a vehicle struck 45-year-redacted Steven Morrell Harris on North Ninth Street.
Steven Morrell Harris, 45, is jailed without bond in Boone County and faces four felonies, including unlawful possession of a firearm. Court documents state that Harris began shooting at the vehicle as it drove away from the scene. A court filing from Boone County Assistant Prosecutor Elizabeth Weaver notes that Harris was carrying a stolen gun at the time of the incident.
According to court documents, Harris has previously served prison time in Oklahoma for child sexual abuse. Records also show he carries a pending felony case for failing to register as a sex offender in mid-Missouri’s Montgomery County.
Investigators stated that an occupied apartment building and a large crowd of approximately 200 people were in the line of fire when Harris started shooting. Court documents confirm that two bullet holes struck a building on North Ninth Street, though no individuals were struck by the gunfire.
Law enforcement agencies responded from multiple jurisdictions to assist at the scene, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Boone County Sheriff’s deputies, MUPD officers, and the Ashland Police Department.
