Columbia residents speak out about shots fired on Rice Road | Mid-Missouri News

Melanie Camden, a Columbia resident and teacher at a “high-risk” middle school, says it’s been a scary week after she was nearly caught in the crossfire during a shooting on Rice Road Monday night.

According to Columbia Police, no one was injured in the incident. However, it was a close call because a car that Camden believed was carrying people involved in the shooting was parked in front of her home, which is just steps from Rice Road at Meadowvale Court, she said KOMU 8.

After hearing nearly 100 gunshots, Camden said she went outside to see what was happening and saw five young men wearing dark sweatpants, sweatshirts and ski masks get out of a car that was hers According to the statement, it was parked in front of her house.

“(The car) started and (the young men) then ran towards me and my child with 9 millimeters in hand,” Camden said. “I saw our lives flash before my eyes.”

Gun violence is not uncommon in her neighborhood. Columbia police have responded to Rice Road 190 times since May 2023, according to the department’s online dispatch log. In four of those cases, shots were fired and in eight cases shots were heard, according to the dispatch log.

Camden, whose children are ages 4, 6 and 10, said she lives in fear because she has at least 27 years left on her mortgage. She says the shock of what could have happened during Monday’s incident has not worn off, and she has resorted to protecting her home by placing mattresses in front of the windows in her living room.

“This problem continues and is getting worse,” Camden said. “I’m tired of nothing being done about it.”

Camden’s neighbor Sabrina Perkins, who also heard the shots, moved into the neighborhood on March 21. Perkins, who has a 30-year mortgage, said Monday’s incident highlights the need for city government to take action.

“Open a few places for kids so they can all go. … Help parents not worry so much about entertaining them,” Perkins said. “Yes, I know it costs us money, but so does the death of a child, the death of anyone.”

CPD spokeswoman Jenny Hopper said an arrest occurred Monday on Rice Road. Police have not identified the arrested suspect.