One person was taken into custody following a Friday morning shooting that left a Cole County man dead and his girlfriend wounded.
Late Friday afternoon, the Cole County prosecutor's office filed formal charges against Austin Corrigan, 21, of Jefferson City. He is charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault and armed criminal action.
Charging documents filed with the Cole County circuit clerk's office list the deceased as Clifton Withers, 63. The wounded victim is listed as Carol Wilson, Withers' girlfriend.
A Cole County Sheriff's Department probable cause statement shows deputies responded at 3:49 a.m. to the 4500 block of Route E for a possible weapons violation. Wilson called 911 and stated she and Withers had been shot and told dispatchers who had shot them. She said the shooter's name was Austin, but didn't know his last name, and she said he had left the scene.
Upon arrival, deputies found Withers dead on the floor from an apparent gunshot wound. They also found Wilson had also been shot. She was taken to University Hospital in Columbia for treatment, and Sheriff John Wheeler said she was later released.
A short time after deputies got on the scene, 911 operators got a call from a person identifying himself as Austin Corrigan who said he had heard that, "Cliff Withers and Carol Wilson had been killed at their home on Route E."
When asked why he thought they had been killed, Corrigan said that was "just what he heard, and he went to that location to check on them." Corrigan also told dispatchers he believed, "Withers and Carol were meth dealers."
Dispatchers asked Corrigan where he was, and he told them he was driving a blue Jeep.
A Jefferson City police officer located Corrigan's vehicle and tried to stop it on U.S. 50. Corrigan refused to stop and a pursuit ensued, going from Jefferson City into Holts Summit. Corrigan wrecked the vehicle by hitting an out building on the parking lot of America's Best Value Inn. He got out and fled on foot, but was caught after a short pursuit.
Wilson had been able to give a description of Corrigan and what he was wearing to investigators, according to the probable cause statement.
The owner of the Jeep that Corrigan was driving was contacted and said he realized he was missing a .380 Kel-Tech handgun and a box of ammunition from his home after Corrigan left.
At the crime scene, detectives found the gun and ammunition.
Court records show Corrigan had two misdemeanor cases on his criminal history, both of which he pleaded guilty to and was given probation. In September, he pleaded guilty to stealing and tampering with a motor vehicle in Osage County. In December, he pleaded guilty to tampering with a motor vehicle in Cole County.
EARLIER COVERAGE
One person was taken into custody following a shooting early Friday morning in Cole County that left one person dead and another wounded.
Deputies responded at approximately 3:49 a.m. to the 4500 block of Route E for a possible weapons violation, according to Cole County Sheriff's Department reports. A person called 911 and stated she and her husband had been shot and told dispatchers who had shot them.
Upon arrival, deputies located the two victims; one was dead and the other was taken to University Hospital in Columbia for treatment.
A short time later, a Jefferson City police officer located the suspect vehicle and tried to stop it. The suspect failed to stop and a pursuit ensued, going from Jefferson City into Holt Summit. The suspect wrecked the vehicle, got out and fled on foot but was caught after a short pursuit.
The suspect was taken to the Cole County Sheriff's Department and is being held on possible charges of first-degree murder, first-degree assault and armed criminal action. His name is not being released pending the filing of formal charges.