The Columbia Police Department arrested a former RBHS student for unlawful weapon use near school grounds. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Jan. 4, 2012.
Christopher Roseberry, who attended RBHS from 2009 until 2011, was arrested and charged with a Class B felony in connection with a shooting near Angelo’s, Pizza and Steak, 4107 S. Providence Rd.
The hearing will be in the Division XI courtroom at the Boone County Courthouse, 705 E. Walnut St. Both the maximum and minimum sentences carry 15-year prison terms.
It “doesn’t mean that charge couldn’t be amended to some other type of charge,” said Cassandra Rogers, assistant prosecuting attorney. “There is a number of different things we could do, but that’s what he is being charged with at this time.”
According to the probable cause statement CPD Detective John Short submitted, after being Mirandized, Roseberry stated he fired eight to nine shots toward another vehicle driven by two unnamed RBHS students.
Both vehicles were traveling southbound on the Providence outer road approaching the Columbia Area Career Center at approximately 1 p.m. Nov. 21.
The targeted car was not hit, but an uninvolved RBHS student who asked not to be identified later found two bullets buried in the trunk of a car.
No one was injured during the shooting.
There had been prior confrontations between the alleged victims and aggressors, according to the probable cause statement. Just before the shooting occurred, Roseberry allegedly saw the victims at McDonalds, 500 E. Nifong Blvd. during B lunch.
The CACC and RBHS went into a modified lock down around 1:45 p.m. Nov. 21, and remained under an external threat emergency situation until the end of the school day.
Police closed Providence outer road from 2:15 p.m. until 3 p.m.
Although police arrested two RBHS students, senior Nicholas Thomas and a 16-year-old juvenile, and Devon Hicks, a former RBHS student, on Nov. 21, currently there is no case against Thomas or Hicks.
Authorities have released them from custody.
No information was available on the 16-year-old at press time.
CPD Public Information Officer Latisha Stroer said the department handled the case well, noting CPD responded quickly and appropriately.
“We had a school resource officer at Rock Bridge who assisted the patrol, and off-duty officers were there at the school,” Stroer said, “so you had extra help for the patrol officers who were already there and all four were in custody within a couple hours of the incident.”
By Walter Wang