Arrest Made After Shots Fired During Funeral of Activist
Authorities have arrested an 18-year-old who is suspected of firing gunshots outside a Columbia church during the funeral of a community activist.
The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that the suspect is jailed on suspicion of unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. No one was injured when gunfire erupted Saturday outside of Christian Fellowship Church as services were underway for 26-year-old Ahmonta Harris.
The Boone County Sheriff's Department says Harris was killed after "unlawfully" entering a home near a golf course and getting into a confrontation with an armed 20-year-old resident. Friends and relatives dispute that Harris would have committed such a crime.
Harris frequently spoke at meetings and was best known for organizing a controversial event dubbed the "Fireworks War" as a way to bring people together.