Police say 15-year-old boy suspected in Columbia shooting
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia Police say a 15-year-old boy is the suspect in a shooting that left another youth with critical injuries Tuesday.
Columbia Police Department officers responded to a shots-fired call on Tuesday in the 5700 block of Canaveral Drive. According to a news release, officers responded to the call around 5:16 p.m.
Officers reported they located a youth suffering from a gunshot wound, and they were transported to a local hospital in critical condition.
The suspect was found near the scene and detained. Boone County Juvenile Officer Angie Bezoni wrote in an email to ABC 17 News that the suspect is a 15-year-old male.
The suspect will have a detention hearing at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
A neighbor, Raymond Owusu, said he was outside with his kids when he heard gunshots and the crash.
Owusu said he rushed outside and saw a woman calling for help near the crashed car. Owusu went to help the gunshot victim, who appeared to have a wound to his head, dragged the youth out of the car to assist him, and waited until first responders arrived on scene.
This is the first time Owusu has seen a crime of this nature in his neighborhood, and he said it raises concerns since this incident happened with his kids outside. Owusu said if it were to happen again, he would rethink living in that neighborhood due to safety concerns.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol crime statistics, from January to June of 2026, there have been 92 violent crime arrests of juveniles between the ages of 10 and 17. This is a decrease from last year’s statistics for the same time frame, when 105 children were taken into custody between the ages of 10 and 17.
This age category is currently the 3rd highest among all ages this year, following behind the highest of ages 25 and 34, and second highest of ages 18 and 24.
These statistics are in line with the suspect linked to the shooting, who was confirmed to be 15 years old.
CPD says the investigation is ongoing.
Check back for updates.
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