Missouri college student charged after fatal shooting at campus housing
A University of Central Missouri student allegedly told investigators he was teaching another student about guns when the handgun he drew discharged and struck the other student in the chest, according to charging documents filed in Johnson County Circuit Court.
Jeremy Allen Manley, 24, of Kansas City, was charged on Thursday with one count of second-degree involuntary manslaughter after Stephon Abron, of St. Charles, was shot and killed in a student housing apartment earlier this month.
Campus police and Johnson County Ambulance District personnel responded to a report of a gunfire at Greenwood Park Apartments in Warrensburg about 3:30 p.m. Nov. 4. Arriving officers found Abron lying on his back in the dining room of an apartment, suffering from a gunshot wound.
According to a probable cause statement, police were told Manley and a second person, Abron’s roommate, were at the apartment when the shooting took place and that they tried to perform CPR on Abron.
Emergency personnel also rendered aid but the victim was pronounced dead.
Police located a 9 mm handgun in the apartment and a 9 mm shell casing near Abron’s body, court records stated. A 9 mm loaded magazine and holster were also found near the victim.
In an interview with police, Manley stated he was showing and teaching his friend, Abron, about guns. He initially denied firing the gun but later told police he drew the weapon from a holster and it discharged, court records said. Manley said he thought Abron had unloaded the weapon before Manley picked it up and said he didn’t know how it went off. He stated the shooting wasn’t intentional.
Manley was taken into custody and released without charges after the incident. A statement from the university at the time said Manley was a student.
On Thursday, Johnson County Prosecuting Attorney Robert Russell filed the charge against Manley. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Court records state that evidence showed Manley “failed to ensure the handgun was unloaded and cleared, and pointed it in an unsafe direction, at Mr. Abron, when it discharged and struck Mr. Abron.”
An attorney for Manley has not yet been listed in public records.
This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 7:17 PM.
