On the afternoon of March 20, 2024, officers from the Columbia Police Department were dispatched to a residential neighborhood in the 1400 block of Doris Drive in Columbia, Missouri, following reports of gunfire. Upon arriving at the scene, which is located near North Creasy Springs and east of Cosmo Park, first responders discovered two victims suffering from gunshot wounds.
One of the individuals, identified as 34-year-old male Royelle Hunt, had sustained multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A second adult male victim found at the location was transported to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries and was subsequently listed in stable condition. Authorities secured the area to investigate the circumstances surrounding the violence, but initially, details regarding what led to the shooting remained scarce. In the immediate aftermath, law enforcement did not release information about potential suspects or whether the incident occurred inside or outside a residence on the street.
As the investigation continued into the following months, the Columbia Police Department stated they had not yet identified or arrested a suspect specifically in connection with Hunt’s homicide. Investigators explored various leads, including looking into a prior altercation involving Hunt from May 2023, where he had been charged with felonies after allegedly exchanging gunfire with another man, Kentrail Taylor, outside a local grocery store. However, police indicated there was no evidence linking the 2023 incident to the fatal shooting on Doris Drive. While Taylor later pleaded guilty to assault charges related to the previous year's confrontation, the murder of Royelle Hunt remained unsolved with no arrests reported in the case.
