Jefferson City police are still looking for a second suspect in a shots fired case after a multi-hour search led to the eventual capture of another suspect Wednesday evening.
This began around 4:11 p.m. Wednesday when an officer attempted to contact the occupants of a black Ford Mustang in the 1000 block of Boonville Road for a driving violation, according to police reports.
Prior to the officer activating his emergency equipment, the vehicle abruptly pulled to curb and both subjects fled on foot.
A perimeter was established at the intersection of Boonville Road and Belair Drive as officers searched for the two men.
Authorities believe the two men had committed a weapons offense and assault in the 200 block of Belair Drive just before the officer tried to contact them for the driving violation on Boonville Road. Investigators believe the men were in the area of Belair Drive attempting to purchase narcotics and a disturbance occurred that resulted in two vehicles chasing each other. While the vehicles were traveling down Belair Drive, the men in the Mustang reportedly fired at the other car.
An uninvolved citizen's vehicle in the area was struck during the course of the chase. Although the victim's vehicle was damaged, he was not injured.
Around 6 p.m. Wednesday, investigators received information that one of the suspects, an 18-year-old Jefferson City man, Raeqwon Morris, was at a residence off of Tammy Lane. Officers responded and took him into custody.
Morris was charged Thursday with first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, first-degree property damage, armed criminal action and attempt to deliver a controlled substance.
Morris was the driver of the Mustang and his passenger, not named in the statement, fired one round at the victim's vehicle on Belair Drive, according to a Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement. The victim said the passenger had gotten out of the vehicle with a rifle and shot their vehicle. Officers later recovered a single shell casing. Morris claimed he did not know the shot had hit another vehicle.
During further questioning, Morris reportedly admitted to being involved in the earlier disturbance and said he had driven his passenger to purchase narcotics from other people involved in the Belair Drive disturbance.
The second suspect in the Mustang, as well as the occupants of a second vehicle that left the original disturbance on Belair Drive, are still being sought.
Anyone with information that could help authorities in their investigation is asked to contact the Jefferson City Police Department at 573-634-6400 or Crimestoppers at 659-TIPS (659-8477) or jeffcitycrimestoppers.com.
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Jefferson City police took one man into custody after a search that lasted much of Wednesday afternoon and evening.
According to police reports, this began around 4:20 p.m. when a vehicle with two men inside nearly ran into an officers' vehicle in the 1000 block of Boonville Road.
Authorities believe when the men realized it was a police officer who they almost hit, they pulled their vehicle off to the shoulder and bailed out.
A perimeter was set up, focusing on the area near the intersection of Boonville and Belair drives. Officers were on foot and joined by a K-9 unit along with the department's SWAT team. They searched several blocks in that area, also using the police department's drone to try and locate the two men. Officers also searched the nearby bluffs along the Missouri River all the way down to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks with the aid of the Missouri Highway Patrol helicopter.
Around 6 p.m., investigators received information that one of the suspects was at a residence off Tammy Lane. Officers went to the residence and were able to find the man and take him into custody.
At 8 p.m., police cleared the area of Boonville and Belair and continued their search for the second suspect Wednesday night throughout the city.
The names of the suspects were not released pending the filing of formal charges.