On February 19, 2022, a violent tragedy struck a gathering in Charleston, Missouri, claiming the life of 23-year-old female Clintayzia DeJanae Nashay Clark. Known affectionately to her friends and family as 'Dunna,' Clintayzia was attending a large party at a building on South Franklin Street when gunfire erupted inside the venue. The event, which hosted nearly 100 people, descended into chaos as shots were fired into the crowd. Clintayzia, a resident of Cape Girardeau who had deep family roots in Charleston, was fatally struck during the incident. She was not the only life lost that night; 19-year-old Brianna Schumer was also killed, and fourteen other individuals sustained injuries in the mass shooting.
In the wake of the violence, law enforcement officials from the Charleston Department of Public Safety and surrounding agencies launched an intensive investigation. Within days, police identified and apprehended two suspects believed to be responsible for the deadly outbreak. Kevon Evans-McClinton, who was 21 at the time, and Zatyrus Moore, then 19, both residents of Charleston, were taken into custody. Prosecutors charged both men with a litany of serious offenses, including two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, four counts of unlawful use of a weapon, and four counts of armed criminal action.
Following their arrests, Evans-McClinton and Moore were held without bond at the Mississippi County Jail as the legal process began. The community was left to mourn the loss of a vibrant young woman described by her loved ones as the life of the party who had a heart of gold and a love for dancing. Clintayzia was survived by her parents and numerous siblings, and she was laid to rest following services at a local church. While the immediate arrests brought some answers, the incident remained a devastating memory for the Charleston and Cape Girardeau communities.
