On a Thursday evening in Columbia, Missouri, the life of 33-year-old Corey Lee Bilger was tragically cut short in a sudden and violent encounter. On February 1, 2024, Bilger was at a Phillips 66 gas station on West Boulevard, simply pumping gas, when a confrontation unfolded that would end in his death. He was a father to two daughters and worked at the Quaker Oats Company.
An 18-year-old man named Seth Andrew Brinegar drove into the gas station and began yelling and cursing at Bilger.
According to court documents, Brinegar repeatedly questioned Bilger, asking if he was following him. Witnesses at the scene reported that Bilger, who appeared to be holding only his cell phone, told Brinegar that he did not know him. The verbal altercation escalated, and as Bilger approached Brinegar's vehicle, he was shot multiple times.
Following the shooting, Columbia Police found Brinegar parked near the gas station and arrested him. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. During the incident, one of the bullets fired struck a nearby vehicle occupied by a man and a six-month-old infant, though neither was injured. Brinegar was booked into the Boone County Jail and held without bond. Court proceedings in his case were scheduled to begin in the days following his arrest.
