18-year-old charged in Cape Girardeau drive-by shooting

An 18-year-old man was arrested Friday after an apparent drive-by shooting just before 10 a.m. at 827 N. Spanish St.

Willie Harvey IV, 109 Centennial Drive, was the driver of the vehicle from which shots were allegedly fired. He is now charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action in connection with the shooting, according the Cape Girardeau County prosecutor's office. Harvey's bond was set by Judge Gary A. Kamp at $250,000 cash only.

The victim, Reno Jones, 28, was wounded in the hip after several shots were fired from a vehicle passing by.

He was taken by ambulance to Saint Francis Medical Center where he was treated and released, a hospital official said. Jones was conscious, alert and talking on his cell phone while paramedics attended to him at the scene.

A witness who was near the scene of the shooting when it occurred said he saw a dark Pontiac Grand Prix pull up to the house and fire four or five shots before driving away.

Carol Allbritton, 827 N. Spanish St., said she was inside her home when she heard gunshots and ran outside where she saw Jones and another man, Chris C. Hendrix, who was running past yelling for someone to call 911, according to a sworn statement by patrolman David Willingham of the Cape Girardeau Police Department. When police arrived, Jones was sprawled on the home's front porch.

Willie Harvey IV

"I was raised on this street. This is my street. I've lived here all my life and this is the first time a shooting has happened here," Allbritton said after the shooting. Her car parked in front of her home was struck by a stray bullet.

According to police reports, Hendrix said he and Jones were walking along North Spanish Street when the driver of a black Pontiac Grand Prix called out to Jones, "Hey, you asked about a car." When Jones walked up to the car, Hendrix told police he saw the driver pull out a black hand gun, either a 9 mm or a .40-caliber, and point it toward Jones, firing six shots.

Hendrix said that Jones told him he had been in jail with the driver of the car, Harvey.

At the time of the shooting, Harvey was free on a $100,000 bond from New Madrid County for first-degree assault and armed criminal action charges. He is due in court in New Madrid County at 9 a.m. Monday for a motion hearing.

About 45 minutes after the shooting occurred, a Cape Girardeau police officer located the suspects' vehicle at the intersection of Parksite Drive and Lexington Avenue and initiated a traffic stop. Three suspects were arrested. The officer was assisted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department. The other two men besides Harvey were released pending further investigation of the case, Glueck said.

Hendrix then selected Harvey's photo out of a line-up presented to him by police officers and identified him as the driver of the vehicle and the shooter, according to police reports.

People stand outside the scene of a drive-by shooting at 827 N. Spanish St. the morning of Friday, April 30, 2010. (Melissa Miller)

Police recovered the weapon used in the incident and Hendrix also confirmed that was the same gun he'd seen Harvey fire at Jones.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

827 N. Spanish St., Cape Girardeau, MO