Police make arrest after report of shots fired in parking lot

A Columbia man was arrested Sunday after police found blood and shell casings in an apartment complex parking lot, Columbia Police Sgt. Lloyd Simons said.

Jonathon S. Batson, 24, was arrested at Lakewood Gardens Apartments on suspicion of unlawful use of a weapon after shots were fired during an altercation in the parking lot, Simons said.

Witnesses said an argument broke out between several people, Simons said. Residents reported the incident to police after shots were fired.

Police found shell casings and a small amount of blood in the parking lot outside the apartment building, but on Monday afternoon they still had not found or identified a victim, Simons said.

Witnesses pointed police to Batson’s apartment where he was arrested, Simons said. A .45 caliber handgun, which was licensed to Batson, was found in the apartment.

Batson was released from the Boone County Jail early Monday on $4,500 bond, said Sgt. Lonny Graves of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department