Charleston man accused of fatally shooting Cape teen

A Charleston, Missouri, man has been arrested and charged with the murder of 17-year-old Andrel Dolpin Jr., who was shot fatally Thursday night near Lorimier House Apartment complex in Cape Girardeau.

Jonas M. Phillips, 27, faces six criminal counts in connection with the teen’s shooting death, which police say stemmed from a botched drug deal.

Phillips was arrested Saturday evening in Mississippi County and has been charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action for his role in Dolpin’s killing, as well as first-degree assault and armed criminal action for shooting at Dolpin’s friend and a bystander who was struck in the hip.

All six charges are felonies. He is being held on $5 million bond.

“There was only one suspect we were looking for, and he’s in custody,” Sgt. Adam Glueck of the Cape Girardeau Police Department said.

Initial reports said Dolpin was with Daryus Watson, 18, and two other friends at the apartment complex when a shooter pulled up in a vehicle and fired several shots, Watson said. Watson said there were at least six to seven shots fired, and neighbors said there could have been 10 shots fired.

Watson said he was worried about his friend, but he did not think he was going to die because Dolpin was conscious, looking at Watson when he talked to him and vocalizing his pain.

Glueck said Friday there was no known link to the shooting Thursday night to the body of Domorlo Morris McCaster, 28, of Cape Girardeau being found about 4 p.m. Thursday near Ranney Park.

Cape Girardeau Police Sgt. Jeff Bonham filed a probable-cause statement about the case. What follows is information from the statement.

The Cape Girardeau/Bollinger County Major Case Squad identified Daniel Venable as a potential witness. Venable told investigators he had come to Cape Girardeau the day of the shooting with two people, one of whom was Phillips, to buy marijuana from and perhaps sell pills to Dolpin’s mother, Bernadette Mansfield.

Venable told investigators he, Phillips and Lizzy Culbertson arrived Thursday night at 235 Lorimier St. and entered an apartment where Mansfield and Dolpin lived.

Mansfield demanded Phillips and Culbertson leave, Venable told investigators. The pair waited at Culbertson’s car, while Mansfield and Dolpin talked in a room separate from where Venable and a friend of Dolpin’s waited.

Venable told investigators Dolpin returned and confronted him. A scuffle ensued that included Dolpin’s associate, after which Venable left and was pursued by Dolpin and his friend.

As Venable made his way from the apartment building to Culbertson’s car, he saw Phillips standing near the street shooting toward the apartment building, Venable said.

Dolpin and his friend retreated, but one of the bullets from Phillips’ shots struck Dolpin in the upper right back, exiting his chest.

A bystander who was not involved in the original confrontation also was shot in the hip, but he did not seek medical treatment for the wound.

Dolpin collapsed about 30 yards from where he was shot. Cape Girardeau police arrived at 9:38 p.m., at which time Dolpin was taken to Saint Francis Medical Center. He died of his injuries early Friday morning.

Venable told investigators while he, Culbertson and Phillips fled to Charleston, Phillips said he thought he had shot one of Venable’s pursuers.

The trio eventually arrived at a home in Sikeston, Missouri. Culbertson told investigators while at the residence, she saw Phillips pull out of his waistband and place on a table the gun she had seen him use to shoot toward the apartment building.

tgraef@semissourian.com

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