Columbia Teen Charged with Felony Murder in Shooting Death of 20-Year-Old

Damarius Ray Kavanaugh, 19, is sitting in the Boone County Jail without bond after prosecutors charged him with felony murder in the March 4 shooting death of William Riechers, a 20-year-old Columbia resident found collapsed on a sidewalk on Allen Street near Bryant Street at roughly 3:46 p.m.

Boone County Joint Communications received multiple calls about shots fired near the Allen and Bryant intersection that Wednesday afternoon. Officers arrived to find Riechers on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to his upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A .40 caliber handgun was recovered near his body, and investigators collected spent .40 caliber shell casings along with 9mm cartridge casings from the surrounding area.

Surveillance footage reviewed as part of the probable cause filing tells a grim story. Court documents describe Riechers and Kavanaugh walking together toward the intersection when a vehicle drove north on Bryant Street through the Allen Street intersection. Multiple gunshots are audible on the footage. Kavanaugh is seen extending his arm in the direction of the passing vehicle. The vehicle continues out of the frame as more shots ring out. Riechers then moves west on Bryant, falls, gets back up, falls again, and ultimately ends up lying on the sidewalk.

In a post-Miranda interview, Kavanaugh admitted to being at the scene. According to court documents, he said he saw the car, and when the window rolled down, he "just started laying shots out." Court documents also noted that Kavanaugh gave conflicting statements about whether occupants of the vehicle fired first, and later said he did not know who shot first between the person in the vehicle or Riechers himself.

What makes this case particularly striking for anyone following it: after Riechers was shot, Kavanaugh allegedly used Riechers' own social media to call a family member and report that Riechers had been shot. An acquaintance of Riechers told officers they had received a call from an unknown person on social media saying Riechers had been shot and to "come home." Kavanaugh admitted to being that caller. He and at least one other person then drove to a hospital before eventually making their way to the Columbia Police Department after police made contact. Court documents also noted that Kavanaugh was wearing different clothing when police contacted him than he had been wearing during the shooting.

Prosecutors charged Kavanaugh with felony murder, armed criminal action, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful use of a weapon. An additional charge of tampering with physical evidence also appears in reporting on the case. Under Missouri law, a felony murder charge can stand even if the accused did not directly cause the victim's death, so long as the death occurred during the commission of a felony.

The Columbia Police Department confirmed to local news that the investigation remains active. Detectives have not publicly confirmed whether additional suspects are being sought. No court date has been scheduled for Kavanaugh as of this reporting. Riechers, who lived in the 200 block of Lincoln Drive, was 20 years old.