Suspect in custody after fatal shooting in Sikeston

A Sikeston, Missouri, man is in custody, and Sikeston police are investigating a shooting that left a St. Louis man dead and a Sikeston man wounded Saturday night.

About 11:10 p.m. Saturday, police received a call of shots fired near Welter and Lee streets. Officers found an SUV in the middle of the roadway with a man inside. The driver, a 22-year-old St. Louis man whose name has not been released, had been shot to death, according to a news release from the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.

A 22-year-old man from Sikeston, whose identity also is not being released, was found yards away from the vehicle in a nearby lot, having suffered three gunshot wounds. Police believe the injured man had been a passenger in the SUV and had been shot trying to flee the gunfire, the release stated. He was transported to a hospital for his injuries.

The SEMO Major Case Squad was activated, and several investigators responded to assist, as well as Scott County Coroner Scott Amick.

According to the release, investigators were led to the St. Louis area, where they found and arrested Tyler Triplett, 26, of Sikeston for his alleged role in the shooting. Police gathered enough information for the Scott County Court to charge Triplett with first-degree murder and first-degree assault, but the investigation is ongoing.

Triplett was issued a $150,000 cash-only bond and remains in custody.

Online court records show in March 2010, a Tyler Triplett of St. Louis pleaded guilty in Scott County Circuit Court to possession of a controlled substance and was placed on probation. His probation was revoked in December 2012, and he was sentenced to seven years in prison. The same person also pleaded guilty in 2007 in Scott County Circuit Court to domestic assault and theft of under $500, and in September 2012, he pleaded guilty in St. Louis County Circuit Court to driving while revoked.

It was not clear whether the Tyler Triplett listed in online court records was the same person arrested in connection with the homicide in Sikeston.

Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call Sikeston police at 573-471-4711. Tips may remain anonymous.

tgraef@semissourian.com

388-3627