Trial of man accused of shootout near Vibez Lounge delayed after prosecution request
A Columbia man accused of being involved in a shootout Nov. 14 near Vibez Lounge that injured five bystanders will have his trial date delayed after a prosecution motion was granted Monday by Boone County Circuit Judge Kevin Crane.
The trial of Todd D. Nesbitt Jr., 28, was to start Tuesday. Crane did not set a date for the rescheduled trial during Monday's hearing.
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Nesbitt appeared by video Monday from the Montgomery County Jail.
Boone County Assistant Prosecutor Spencer Smith requested the continuance as the state is waiting on the return of a lab analysis of physical evidence and forensic cellphone data.
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Nesbitt is charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action, both felonies. A separate resisting arrest case is pending.
Nesbitt's attorney, Gerald Mueller, requested a bond reduction in the case Monday. Nesbitt currently is held without bond. Mueller asked for a $10,000 cash or surety bond in the assault case, and a $4,500 cash or surety bond in the separate resisting arrest case.
Before setting bond, Crane requested some background on the nature of Nesbitt's charges. Following the explanation by Smith, Crane set bond at $100,000 cash-only in the assault case and $20,000 cash or surety in the resisting arrest case.
Nesbitt is accused of exchanging gunfire outside of Vibez, in downtown Columbia, with Quillan Jacobs, who was subsequently killed by police.
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Nesbitt pleaded not guilty Dec. 10 to the assault and armed criminal action charges, and pleaded the same in the resisting arrest case Dec. 17.
What happened in the shooting
Columbia Police Department officers responded quickly to shots-fired reports Nov. 14.
The police had announced approximately 48 hours prior to the shooting a partnership with the Downtown Community Improvement District and the University of Missouri Police Department to increase downtown safety measures.
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Victims reported hearing an argument before shots rang out near the nightclub.
Officers were in a parking lot south of Vibez Lounge when they reported hearing bullets go past and impact nearby, Columbia police officer Adam Ward wrote in a probable cause, noting Sgt. Kiesha Edwards observed Jacobs shooting northbound as he was running south away from the lounge.
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A witness and a police informant were able to provide suspect descriptions and identification, respectively.
Nesbitt was wearing a pink hoodie at the time of the shooting, according to the witness. When he was arrested later Nov. 14, he still was wearing the hoodie, Ward wrote in the probable cause.
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Victims mostly reported injuries to arms and legs. One victim blacked out after being shot. Columbia Police Chief Geoff Jones in a news conference Nov. 14 said one of the victims needed emergency surgery.
Jones said the shooting was a "mass casualty incident," which he described as anytime there are multiple victims at one scene and the police call for ambulances to go to a Level 1 Trauma Center.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: After request, judge delays Vibez Lounge shooting trial
