Jefferson City police believe several juveniles were looking for a specific juvenile to fight when a large disturbance broke out Friday night at Capital Mall, Jefferson City Police Department officials said Tuesday.
The juvenile's sister would not allow him to fight, however, JCPD spokesman Lt. David Williams said.
"To facilitate the fight between males, a group of females (adults and juveniles) began assaulting the sister," Williams said in a news release. "One of the bystanders was videotaping the event and broadcasting on social media."
Since Friday, two 16-year-olds have been taken into custody for their involvement, according to the news release.
Two adults - Christianna Knight, 17, and Ashuntiera Brown, 18, both of Jefferson City - have also been identified and cited in this case, Williams said.
"The shooter or shooters have not been identified at this time, but it is believed that the shots were fired in the air to break up the fight between the female combatants," he added.
JCPD is asking anyone with information about this incident to call the Police Department at 573-634-6400.
"The only description of the shooter at this time is a skinny, dark-complexion male," Willams said. "Jefferson City school resource officers were able to identify several juveniles from the video. However, it is believed that other suspects yet to be identified are from other jurisdictions including Columbia and St. Louis."
Williams said witnesses were only able to provide the name "Big Lexi" as one of the main suspects in the fight. JCPD is working to identify her, according to the news release.
"As a result, this fight can be directly tied to the weapons offense at the mall and multiple arson investigations afterwards in Jefferson City," Williams said. "The arsons occurred after the female victim of the assault arrived home and her mother decided to take matters into her own hands."
The arson suspect - Iasha Cannady, 45 - has been charged with two counts of arson and is being held without bond.
"Cannady retaliated by driving to two separate residences early Saturday morning and tossing Molotov cocktails to start fires at the homes of people she believed to be responsible," Williams said.
Williams said JCPD has increased police staffing for Fourth of July events in the city "in hopes to deter any further planned retaliation."