Early morning incidents

Columbia Police officers responded to 904 Vandiver Drive, Waffle House, today at 3:10 a.m. in reference to a large group trespassing in the parking lot. Boone County Joint Communications advised officers the parking lot was packed, and a male and female subject were engaged in an altercation.

Upon officers' arrival, they were advised by a male victim that he had been robbed at gunpoint. The investigation revealed a male suspect approached the victim and pointed a firearm at him. The suspect retrieved property belonging to the victim before fleeing the scene. The suspect was described as a black male between 25 to 30 years of age, approximately 5'9" tall with a medium size build. He was last seen wearing dark colored clothing. There were no reported injuries as a result of this incident.

At 5:20 a.m., Boone County Joint Communications received information that a vehicle had been struck by gunfire on Vandiver Drive. The vehicle pulled into the parking lot of 904 Vandiver Drive, Waffle House, to report the incident. At the same time, officers were dispatched to the 1100 block of Vandiver Drive in reference to shots fired. Officers located a residence in the area that had been struck by gunfire multiple times. There were several subjects occupying the residence at the time it was struck. Additionally, fire was observed coming from the area. Columbia Fire Department responded to the scene to extinguish the fire. There have been no reported injuries as a result of the fired rounds. The amount of property damage is unknown at this time.

While officers were still on-scene on Vandiver Drive, a call of a physical disturbance between a large group with a gun was reported in the 600 block of Talon Road. Upon officers' arrival, they heard a loud verbal disturbance between multiple people inside a residence in the area. Officers made contact with at least 10 occupants inside the residence. The investigation revealed an altercation had occurred between at least three subjects inside the residence. The altercation continued outside where witnesses reported one of the subjects fired several shots from an unknown weapon into the air. Officers did not locate any evidence of shots fired at the scene, nor were there any reports of injuries or property damage at this time.

The investigations into these incidents are on-going.

If you have any information regarding the incidents above, please contact the Columbia Police Department at (573) 874-7652, or call CrimeStoppers at (573) 875-TIPS (8477) to remain anonymous.