Man charged in connection with shooting at Cape Central High School graduation (2024)

Published: May. 19, 2024 at 3:01 PM CDT|Updated: 16 hours ago

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - A man was charged in connection with a shooting at the Cape Central High School graduation ceremony.

Kris E. Owens, 20, and Christopher J. Owens, 41, both of Cape Girardeau, and Andra Jennings, Jr., 34, of Louisville, Ky., were arrested on Monday afternoon, May 20.

Kris Owens was charged with felony first-degree assault, felony armed criminal action and felony unlawful use of a weapon regarding the shooting on May 19. He’s being held without bond.

According to online court records, he will make his initial court appearance on Thursday morning, May 23.

We also learned police arrested Owens’ father, Christopher Owens. He was charged with loitering within 500 feet of school property as a registered sex offender. His bond was set at $25,000 cash only.

A third person has also been charged after the traffic stop. Andra Jennings, Jr. was charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon because police say he had a gun in his possession at the time of the traffic stop. He’s a convicted felon and is prohibited from having guns.

According to court documents, Kris Owens got into an argument with two men at a concession stand during Sunday’s graduation ceremony. He then allegedly pulled a gun from his waistband.

Police say the victim described getting into a fight with Owens over the gun and the weapon going off, striking the victim in the stomach.

According to police, the Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office declined to file charges on a person of interest being held pending further investigation into their possible involvement.

School leaders gave an update on Monday afternoon on a shooting at the Show Me Center during the Cape Central High School graduation.

Superintendent Dr. Howard Benyon and Assistant Superintendent Josh Crowell spoke at the news conference.

“We are all angry and upset that some individuals from the community used what should have been a joyous, wonderful day for our families as an opportunity to act in such a wreckless and selfish manner,” Dr. Benyon said.

He said classes were canceled for Tuesday, May 21 and Wednesday will be the last day, a half-day.

Counseling services for students, staff and community members will be available Tuesday at the middle school and high school between noon and 2 p.m.

Currently, they do not have a make-up date for graduation. They said that will be announced at a later date.

As for security plans, Assistant Superintendent Crowell said keeping students safe is an ever-evolving process.

“This is not a type of subject matter that would want to stay static with your training and with your understanding and with your research of it,” he said. “You constantly have to have this at the forefront of your thoughts.”

Crowell said school leaders are going over what happened, which will likely lead to new safety protocols in the future.

One question we’re still trying to answer: How did a firearm make it inside the Show Me Center?

We reached out to Southeast Missouri State University to ask about security measures. They released this statement on the shooting on Monday afternoon:

“Southeast Missouri State University is saddened by the events that happened at the Cape Central graduation ceremony yesterday at the Show Me Center. SEMO has safety protocols and procedures in place, and we are reviewing those and will make any changes deemed appropriate. We will keep our community informed of any updates. We have no further comment since this is an ongoing investigation.”

At 2:33 p.m. on Sunday, May 19, Cape Girardeau police received multiple calls regarding gunfire inside the Show Me Center.

According to the police department, two people were shot, and both were taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

The Cape Central High School Graduation had just started at the Show Me Center on Sunday afternoon when a gunshot was heard. No students or staff members were injured. They were able to get out of the building safely with the help of staff members at the Show Me Center.

According to Cape Girardeau Police Lt. Rick Schmidt, a fight broke out inside the Show Me Center away from the graduation ceremony on the upper-level concourse. During the fight, a single shot was fired.

Two people were injured, with gunshot wounds in their lower extremities. At this time, there is no known cause of the fight.

School Resource Officers with the Cape Girardeau Public School District were on-scene for the graduation ceremony and were quickly able to detain a person of interest and help the victims.

Lt. Schmidt said there are no metal detectors at the doors of the Show Me Center.

Among those attending the ceremony was Cape Girardeau Mayor Stacy Kinder.

She was there with her family because her son was graduating. She shared her response to the shooting with Heartland News.

As of Wednesday, the Cape Girardeau/Bollinger County Major Case Squad formally disbanded. The Cape Girardeau Police Department will continue to investigate the shooting.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Cape Girardeau Police Department at 573-339-6621, the anonymous tip line at 573-339-6313 or you can text “CAPEPD” to 847411.

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