A man was recently arrested in Columbia on a warrant that was issued over three months ago. The 29-year-old Missouri resident has been accused of first-degree assault after a shooting accident occurred on July 3. The man was on probation at the time of the purported shooting, so he faces additional circumstances relating to that as well.
Around 8:15 p.m. on July 3, the man and the victim supposedly got into an argument outside in a residential area. The argument allegedly escalated, and the accused man is accused of brandishing a firearm and shooting the victim multiple times. When the police responded to the call, a friend had already taken the victim to the hospital for treatment of his non life-threatening injuries. The authorities questioned him, and the victim apparently claimed that he knew the man who allegedly assaulted him.
The investigators also supposedly questioned potential eyewitnesses, and one person claimed that the man whom police have charged was involved. The warrant for his arrest was issued on July 17, though he has only just recently been arrested. He was charged with first-degree assault as well as armed criminal action, and he was also accused of violating the terms of his probation. As a result, he is being held without bond until his criminal process begins.
Just because a person claims that another individual is responsible for an assault does not necessarily mean that the accused person actually committed the crime. Anyone accused of a crime in Missouri is guaranteed the presumption of innocence before the courts until, and only if, proven guilty by competent evidence. This man also has a number of specific legal rights that must be safeguarded throughout the criminal process.
Source: Columbia Daily Tribune, “Police arrest man suspected in July shooting“, Oct. 29, 2014