Police: Teen trashed clothes, cleaned up scene following shooting death

A Cape Girardeau teen tampered with evidence after leaving a shooting victim who later died at Southeast Hospital last week, police said.

The Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney’s office on Friday charged Steffon R. Swader, 17, with felony tampering with physical evidence.

According to a probable-cause statement filed in the case by Cape Girardeau County sheriff’s detective Jaime Holloway, Swader and another man on Wednesday night left Ryan C. Grandi, 30, of Cape Girardeau at Southeast Hospital with several gunshot wounds. Grandi later died of his wounds.

Swader said in interviews with Cape Girardeau police Grandi had been shot in the 600 block of Bellevue Street in Cape Girardeau, Holloway wrote.

Shortly after 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, Cape Girardeau police went to the hospital, where security said two men entered and told staff they had a gunshot victim in their vehicle, Holloway wrote.

The men left after medical personnel removed Grandi from the vehicle, according to the statement.

Police identified Swader as having been one of the men who left Grandi at the hospital, Holloway wrote.

During interviews with police, Swader said he and another man returned to the scene of the shooting to clean up after they left Grandi at the hospital, Holloway wrote. Swader also said he had disposed of clothing he’d been wearing at the time of the shooting, Holloway wrote.

Police identified the other man, but he was not named in the statement.

Cape Girardeau Police Department public-information officer Rich McCall declined to name the other man or say whether he was in custody or had been charged as of Monday.

McCall also declined to comment on what may have prompted the shooting. He said Swader still was in custody Monday morning.

Swader’s bond was set at $50,000 cash, with the condition he not possess any firearms or leave Cape Girardeau County.

The Major Case Squad still was investigating Monday.

tgraef@semissourian.com

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