On a cold January evening in Columbia, Missouri, the life of 18-year-old Roberto Angel Lauer, a White Caucasian male, was tragically cut short. Known for his infectious smile and positive demeanor, the Battle High School senior, affectionately called "Berto," was at a residence in the northeastern part of the city on January 17, 2022, when he sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
Emergency services responded to the scene, but Lauer was pronounced dead.
The investigation by the Columbia Police Department swiftly led to an arrest. Shawn Paul Long, also 18 and a resident of Columbia, was taken into custody. According to court documents that surfaced later, the shooting was described as a grim act of reckless behavior. Long admitted to investigators that he had picked up a firearm and pointed it at Lauer in what he termed a "playful manner." Tragically, the gun discharged, inflicting the fatal wound. This account of the events was corroborated by several witnesses who were present at the scene, including a number of juveniles and a guardian, who told police they saw Long point the weapon at Lauer just before the fatal shot was fired.
Following his arrest, Shawn Paul Long was formally charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of armed criminal action. He was booked into the Boone County Jail and held on a $250,000 cash-only bond. In the subsequent legal proceedings, Long waived his formal arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges brought against him. A bond hearing was scheduled for late January 2022, with a preliminary hearing set for the following month. The death of Roberto Lauer sent ripples of grief through the community, particularly among his peers and educators at Battle High School. In response to the tragedy, Columbia Public Schools made additional counseling and support services available to students, staff, and families affected by the sudden and profound loss of a young life.
