A Jefferson City man charged in connection with a pair of shootings that injured a Jefferson City woman in December 2017 has pleaded guilty to the charges against him.
Davone Murphy, 19, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action during a hearing before Cole County Senior Judge Richard Callahan. Sentencing is scheduled for February. Murphy had been scheduled to go to trial next week.
Officers were initially called to investigate an incident in the 600 block of East Capitol Avenue, according to police reports. They discovered two vehicles had been involved in a chase, and a person in one of the vehicles was shooting at the other vehicle. Officers found no victims or property damage, but did find spent shell casings.
Police were later called to the 500 block of East Capitol Avenue, where they found a Jefferson City woman with a gunshot wound to the head. She was taken to a Columbia hospital for treatment.
Investigators later found damage to a front bedroom screen and window pane, consistent with a bullet hole. The victim's bed was located next to the window where the damage was found.
As detectives continued the investigation, they found Murphy drove a vehicle that matched the one for which they were looking. Murphy and his girlfriend were located at her residence on Wildwood Drive. She consented to let officers search her home, and they found .22-caliber ammunition that matched what they had found at the shooting scene.
When questioned, Murphy admitted to firing the shots at the vehicle. He said they were in his girlfriend's vehicle at the time, and the gun used was disposed of after the shooting. The girlfriend denied any involvement in the shooting.
Probable cause statements filed in this case do not indicate a cause for the shootings.