Mistaken identity may have led to fatal shooting

A man shot in the face as he was holding a baby on a front porch likely was misidentified by the alleged killer, according to the man who lives at the Cape Girardeau residence where the homicide occurred.

Corey C. Gilbert of 612 Locust St. told police he was the person the murder suspect was looking for when Airious D. Darling, 21, was shot and killed March 31, according to the probable-cause statement filed by Cpl. J.A. Lacey, who was working with the Cape Girardeau/Bollinger County Major Case Squad.

At the time, Darling was babysitting for Gilbert, taking care of his 1-year-old daughter, according to the statement.

Darling was returning the baby when Tavious L. Tipler, 18, of Cape Girardeau walked up the porch and shot Darling in the face, according to several witnesses in the statement. Witnesses said Darling was holding the baby when he was shot, according to the report.

Gilbert told police he was the man Tipler was looking to kill. Gilbert said his interactions with Tipler began in January when he was robbed, according to the statement. The robbery was orchestrated by Maishel A. Miles, 18, of Sikeston, Missouri, according to what Tipler told police after he was arrested Saturday. Miles was visiting with Gilbert, and she saw him with $350, according to the statement. After she left, Gilbert answered his door, just cracking it open, and three men kicked in the door and began attacking him.

Airious Darling

Gilbert said he was struck in the head with a liquor bottle, dazing him, then one of the three men took his money.

Tipler admitted to police his role in that crime, according to the statement. Tipler said while he was beating Gilbert, Miles and another woman grabbed Gilbert's marijuana.

Gilbert recognized Tipler because of his abnormal eye, according to the statement.

Two weeks before the killing, Gilbert saw Tipler walking down the street, and he confronted Tipler, telling him he would identify him to police. Gilbert told police he believes Darling was shot as a result of this confrontation.

Police talked to a person close to Tipler who had purchased a handgun and several magazines a day before the murder, including one extended magazine. The gun was believed to be the same caliber used in the shooting, according to the statement.

The witness said Tipler was aware of the gun and where it was hidden. The witness said the gun was missing the morning of the murder. In a subsequent interview, the witness said Tipler confided he had shot a man and had maybe killed him.

Police recovered a single spent shell casing at the scene, according to the statement.

Police identified and interviewed another witness believed to have been with Tipler at the time of the murder. The witness was walking with Tipler on Locust Street, and the witness saw a man walking up to the residence at 612 Locust St. holding a child. The witness then saw Tipler walking in the direction of 612 Locust St. and heard a single gunshot. The witness responded by running back to 612 Locust St. where Darling was lying on the porch with a baby near his body.

Another witness also was in the vicinity at the time and was aware of a previous confrontation between Tipler and Gilbert. The witness saw Tipler walking toward 612 Locust St. before hearing a shot.

A friend of Tipler told police Tipler had confessed he shot Darling while Darling was holding a baby, according to the statement.

Tipler also told the friend he had made a mistake and shot the wrong person, intending the bullet for Gilbert. Tipler then showed the friend the gun he used: a large-framed, semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine, according to the statement.

"This description is consistent with the spent casing located at the scene," Lacey wrote.

Tipler has been charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. His bond was set at $500,000, cash only.

He also has been charged with second-degree robbery from an incident in January. Tipler was on probation at the time of the murder. He received five years' probation on a felony resisting arrest charge and unlawful use of a weapon, both from February 2015.

Miles, who also has been arrested, is charged with second-degree robbery, and her bond was set at $50,000, cash only. Her initial arraignment is scheduled for April 11.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address: 612 N. Locust St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.