In the spring of 2017, the life of 28-year-old Cameron Scott Caruthers came to a tragic end in Columbia, Missouri. On May 22nd, Caruthers was shot and killed by Ricky Gurley at Gurley's residence on Dawn Ridge Road. The events of that day were the culmination of a dispute that had been escalating.
On the morning of the shooting, an argument had reportedly broken out over the telephone between Caruthers, Gurley, and a woman named Kelsey Poore, who was at Gurley's home.
Poore had accused Caruthers of stealing money from her. During the phone call, Caruthers demanded to be allowed into Gurley's residence to retrieve his belongings. Both Gurley and Poore repeatedly told him not to come over, with Poore expressing concern that Caruthers had been using methamphetamine and she did not want him in the house. Despite these warnings, Caruthers, described as being in an extremely agitated and hostile state, defied their instructions and barged into the home.
Once inside, Caruthers's confrontational behavior continued. He was yelling, threatened to kill Poore, and physically assaulted her. He then turned his attention to Gurley, who was seated, and began to advance towards him in a threatening manner. It was at this moment that Gurley, feeling threatened, fired a twelve-gauge shotgun, striking Caruthers in the right upper abdomen. The single gunshot wound proved to be fatal. An autopsy later revealed extremely high levels of methamphetamine in Caruthers's blood.
Following the shooting, Ricky Gurley called 911 to report that a man had entered his house and tried to attack him, and that he had shot him. When police arrived, they found Caruthers's body in the living room. Gurley was taken into custody for questioning and cooperated with detectives, explaining that Caruthers had threatened him just before the shooting. The shotgun used in the incident was recovered from a locked bedroom in the residence.
The Boone County Prosecuting Attorney's Office conducted an extensive review of the shooting. Based on the evidence, which included witness statements and the circumstances of Caruthers unlawfully entering the residence and his subsequent aggressive actions, it was determined that Gurley had acted in self-defense under Missouri law. Consequently, no homicide charges were filed against him. However, the investigation revealed that Gurley had a prior felony conviction from North Carolina. While this conviction was not sufficient to charge him as a felon in possession of a firearm under Missouri state law, the case was referred to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Gurley was subsequently indicted on a federal charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, to which he pleaded guilty and was sentenced in federal court.
