Criminal charges have been filed against the convicted felon who allegedly fired multiple shots during this weekend’s chaotic incident in downtown Columbia.
45-year-old Steven Morrell Harris is jailed without bond and charged with four felonies, including unlawful possession of a firearm.
The Columbia Police Department’s three-page probable cause statement says the incident happened at about 1:50 am on Sunday and happened after a vehicle struck Harris in North Ninth street. Harris allegedly began shooting at the vehicle as it drove away. Court documents indicate there was a large crowd of about 200 people and an occupied apartment building in the line of fire when Harris began shooting. Court documents say two bullet holes struck a building on North Ninth street. No one was struck by the bullets.
The court documents also say Harris has served prison time in Oklahoma for child sexual abuse. A court filing from the Boone County assistant prosecutor Elizabeth Weaver says Harris’ gun was stolen and that he also has a pending felony case for failing to register as a sex offender in mid-Missouri’s Montgomery County.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol, Boone County Sheriff’s deputies, MUPD officers and Ashland Police all responded to assist at the scene.
