Stephens College student pronounced dead after downtown Columbia shooting
Matthew Sanders
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Stephens College student who was critically wounded in a shooting early Saturday in downtown Columbia has died, the college said Sunday.
Aiyanna Williams was shot while downtown with friends, a college spokesperson wrote. Williams was declared brain dead after being rushed to University Hospital.
“While Aiyanna’s body is being maintained on artificial support, this is solely to allow time for organ donation in accordance with her wishes,” the release states. “We honor Aiyanna’s life and the generosity of this final act of giving as we grieve this profound loss.”
Stephens will hosted a gathering of family and friends at 5:30 p.m. Sunday in the college’s Firestone Baars Chapel. Some community leaders in attendance included Stephens College President Dr. Shannon Lundeen, MU President Mun Choi, Mayor Barbara Buffaloe, and Columbia Police Depart Chief Jill Schlude.
“She’s not only part of our Stephens College community, but she is born and raised in Columbia and so we had leaders come out not just because this was a college student who was a victim of senseless violence, but it was one of our own. She is a daughter of Columbia,” Dr. Lundeen said.
Media was not allowed inside the service, but Reverend Gray said he, along with Williams’ mother, former teammates, volleyball coach and others all took the podium to share heartfelt memories of Williams.
Williams friends said she lived her life with purpose and compassion.
“She wanted to help people, she wanted to spread the gospel, make sure everyone knew about Jesus and she wanted to pour into people,” said Amari Branch-Autman, a close friend of Williams.
“We grieve deeply with her family, friends, teammates, and classmates,”Lundeen said in the news release. “This tragedy is not only a profound personal loss for our community but also a sobering reminder of the senseless gun violence that plagues our country. We must honor Aiyanna’s legacy by holding one another close and continuing the fight for a safer, more compassionate world.”
Williams was a nursing student who had played volleyball at Stephens. She was a graduate of Battle High School who was attending the college on full scholarship, the release states.
“She was a full-ride scholarship, full cost of attendance. So she was not paying anything, she wasn’t even paying fees and that’s also a testament not only to her grit, but to her confidence and her capability,” Dr. Lundeen said.
The memorial service brought together students, faculty, and loved ones who shared stories and memories celebrating Williams’ life while mourning a loss felt deeply across the community.
“I believe she would have wanted it this way. It was celebratory. We shared so many good moments and so many good memories,” Erica Dickson, Columbia Public School Board Member said.
The attendees said that moving on from this incident they hope for healing.
“It’s hard to say what I ant to see in the immediate moments,” Dickson said. “I would want to see us cherish the moments that we have together and just love on each other again. We don’t know how many of those moments we have,”
Stephens College President said Williams’ family is planning a funeral service for October 11, though details are still being finalized.
Sources also tell ABC 17 News that Williams’closest friends and family held a private honor walk before Sunday’s memorial. Her body will be transported to Kansas City, where she be an organ donor.
The Columbia Police Department said 23-year-old Misael Covarrubias, of Fellsmere, Florida, was involved in an argument near Ninth and Broadway early Saturday when he pulled out a gun and fired multiple times. He was arrested and appeared on the Boone County Jail roster Saturday evening without bond.
The people he was arguing with were not hit. Instead, three bystanders, a man and two women, were caught in the gunfire. Williams was one of them.
Covarrubias was arrested on charges of three counts of first-degree assault, three counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
The shooting happened on the University of Missouri’s homecoming weekend. UM System President Mun Choi wrote a letter to Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe on Saturday, urging action to curb crime. Buffaloe highlighted the city’s current efforts and plans to increase safety in the future.