A 20-year-old St. Louis man, Byron Sampson, has been charged with second-degree murder following a deadly incident in Columbia, Missouri. Columbia police responded to reports of gunfire on Thursday and found a crashed vehicle in a wooded area on Boyd Lane, near the location of the shooting. An 18-year-old man, Taquan Reed, was found injured near the crash site and later died in the hospital. As reported by First Alert 4, Sampson was arrested in a stolen pickup truck, linking him to the events leading to Reed's death.
Documents obtained by ABC 17 News describe the stolen vehicle, a 2021 Dodge Ram 1500 TRX, as having been taken from a St. Louis County dealership. Further investigation revealed shells in the truck and a handgun nearby. Sampson, along with two other Columbia residents, Julius J. Mosby, 18, and Demetrius L. Mays, 22, were reportedly involved in a robbery attempt before the crash that led to Reed’s death.
Mosby was arrested in Indianapolis, while Mays was taken into custody in Springfield, Missouri. They are now facing charges of first-degree robbery and second-degree felony murder. According to KOMU, investigators found evidence connecting Sampson to the stolen vehicle from the dealership. A motion filed claimed that Reed died while trying to escape from the robbery scene.
Authorities stated that there are no outstanding suspects in the case, and the arrests of Mosby and Mays have ended the manhunt. Sampson had a court appearance, during which he indicated he would hire an attorney, though the judge advised him to apply for a public defender for now. Sampson's bond hearing is scheduled for October 16, and his preliminary hearing is set for November 7, as stated by KOMU News. No court dates have been announced for Mays or Mosby.
