Murder, robbery charges filed in deadly Columbia shooting
Madison Stuerman
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Murder charges have been filed after an 18-year-old was shot and killed on Sunday in Columbia.
Steven Paden, 34, is charged with robbery in the first degree, armed criminal action and second-degree murder. He is accused of killing Zarian Simpson. He was listed on the Boone County Jail roster on Tuesday evening, but an updated mugshot was not available.
Court documents state Boone County Joint Communications received a 911 call just before 8 p.m. on Sunday from Simpson reporting he had been hit in the face with a gun and his bag was stolen. Police said Simpson told dispatchers he was following the suspects in his car when shots were heard and he stopped responding.
At the same time, BCJC reported getting multiple reports of shots fired on Sunrise Drive. Court documents state a caller said a purple Camaro ran into his deck and the man inside the car was hit.
Police said another witness reported hearing gunshots and saw a man in all black clothing run away and put a gun in his pants.
Officers said when they arrived on the scene, they found a gold Toyota Highlander and a purple Camaro. Simpson was found dead after he was shot in the head while in the driver’s seat.
Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe shared a Columbia Police Department update on the case on Facebook.
“Sunday night’s incident at Broadway and Old 63 is heartbreaking,” Buffaloe wrote. “As a parent, I felt the weight of it deeply — my own kids were playing just up the hill at the playground that evening.”
Buffaloe wrote that she is working to make people feel safe in “every part of our city — at any time of day.”
Documents state that the police used the Flock camera system and found both cars downtown in the 900 block of East Broadway minutes before the shooting. Police said video footage showed four people robbing Simpson at gunpoint before leaving in a gold SUV.
Police said they learned the identity of one of the suspects, a juvenile. During interrogation, the boy allegedly admitted he was downtown with his friends and Steven in the Highlander. He allegedly told officers they robbed Simpson of his black bag with marijuana and wallet.
Officers said the boy told them Simpson followed them and when they turned off Broadway, two people shot from the Highlander at the victim. He also allegedly admitted to hitting Simpson in the face with a gun during the robbery.
A juvenile allegedly admitted to shooting at Simpson, according to police.
Court documents state that police reported pulling over the gold Highlander on June 3 with Paden as the driver, matching the fourth suspect seen on video footage.
Online court records show Paden was convicted in 2013 for robbery and armed criminal action.
A warrant for arrest has been ordered for Paden.
Columbia Police Department Deputy Chief Matt Stephens told ABC 17 News on Monday night that the department was involved in a manhunt for suspects in Glasgow along with multiple other law enforcement agencies.