Cyclist victim shares about one of two drive-by shootings in Springfield area

 Kwaim Stenson
Kwaim Stenson (KY3)
Published: Jun. 24, 2019 at 12:00 PM CDT
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Investigators in Springfield and Greene County link two drive-by shootings to the same man Saturday night. The shootings injured two men.

Kwaim Stenson, 31, of Springfield, is accused in both shootings. Polk County authorities arrested Stenson Saturday night. However, detectives say he is not talking.

One shooting happened on North Alliance Avenue in the industrial park just east of the Springfield-Branson National Airport. The other happened on the Frisco Highline Trail near Willard. Only about 30 minutes separated the shootings.

The cyclist injured on North Alliance didn't want to share his name after the traumatic event just before 8:00 Saturday night, but showed a KY3 reporter the bandage on his shoulder from his gunshot wound. "Next thing I know, shots were being fired and probably the scariest thing I've been through in my life," says the cyclist.

He says he fell over on his bike, which crashed into the passenger side of the shooter's car. He heard several shots, then ran and hid in the nearby woods. "I didn't realize I was hit or how many times I was hit until much later," the cyclist says.

Less than 30 minutes after the first shooting, investigators say a couple walking on the Frisco Highline Trail near Willard saw headlights coming up the trail. The driver slowly approached, then started shooting, hitting that man twice in the abdomen. That man is still in critical condition.

Kwaim Stenson is now charged in both shootings. Neither victim knows Stenson, and detectives say he won't talk to them. Court documents say his car had a broken passenger mirror and paint marks that matched the damage from the bike. Officers found a 9 millimeter handgun and ammo inside.

"I've been shoved off the road, I've been cussed at, people have stopped and wanted to fight because I'm on the road, told me I didn't belong on the road. It's just ridiculous," says they cyclist. But he never thought it would come to gunshots, on the road, or on the trail, where he'd just left.

"I think there's things that they could do to make it more open and more friendly," says the cyclist.

Some question how a car got on the trail, but Daniel Garten has seen it.

"There's a couple spots where there is no post like there normally at trail entryways," says Garten. "So I've seen people turn on thinking it's a road."

He too, never expected a shooting. But he hopes to see some safety improvements on the Frisco. "But just at least making sure the basic safety measures are put in place. And I know most of the trails are that way," says Garten.

This gunshot victim also hopes drivers will treat bicycles with a little more respect. "It's unfortunate that cyclists can't ride like they want to now."

Polk County deputies were able to pull over and arrest Kwaim Stenson later Saturday night after the shootings. He's now held in the Greene County Jail without bond, facing multiple felony charges.