Police say a Maplewood woman is behind bars after a gunshot rang out in the parking lot of the Walmart on March 23. Court records identify the suspect as Tionne Harris, who now faces felony counts of first-degree assault and armed criminal action. Investigators reported finding a spent shell casing at the scene, and authorities say much of the encounter was caught on camera. Harris is being held on a $100,000 cash-only bond while the case moves through the system.
What investigators say
According to FOX 2, a criminal complaint alleges Harris fired a shot at a victim in the store’s parking lot, and officers recovered a spent shell casing nearby. The station reports that both surveillance footage and video recorded by bystanders captured much of the confrontation, and investigators cited that footage in their probable-cause filing. Court records reviewed by FOX 2 indicate a judge found probable cause to move forward on the felony charges.
Court status and the defendant's comments
A St. Louis County court hearing produced the probable-cause finding, and Harris was then booked into custody, according to the documents. “I don’t know where the gun went,” Harris told officers, FOX 2 reports. She remains in jail on the cash-only bond while prosecutors continue to review the case.
How the charges are treated in Missouri
Under Missouri law, assault in the first degree is a felony offense, and armed criminal action is a separate weapons charge that can add mandatory prison time, according to state statutes. For more on how the law defines these crimes and their potential penalties, see the first-degree assault statute (RSMo 565.050) and the armed-criminal-action statute (RSMo 571.015).
