Maurice Harper Sr.
This Pettis County Jail mugshot of Maurice Harper Sr. was taken in 2016 after he was arrested for hindering the prosecution of a felony. Harper died in a shooting Sunday morning. He was scheduled for a jury trial in two weeks in the 2016 case.
A Sedalia man is dead Sunday after an overnight shooting.
Maurice Harper Sr., 42, was pronounced dead at Bothwell Regional Health Center after an incident in the 300 block of North Summit Avenue, according to a Sedalia Police Department press release.
An SPD officer responded to the 1200 block of East Fourth Street in the early morning hours Sunday to speak with a subject who had witnessed a shooting. The initial caller said someone unfamiliar to him came to his door and asked him to call 911. Officers spoke with the witness and determined the location of the shooting on North Summit Avenue.
A suspect has not been identified.
“We’re still following up on some leads right now; as always we want the public to let us know anything they know, but we are still following up on many leads right now and hopefully we can get a suspect identified,” SPD Sgt. Kelley Casto told the Democrat by phone Sunday afternoon.
The Pettis County Ambulance District took Harper to Bothwell while another shooting victim went to the hospital in a private vehicle. Casto said the second victim is also a male and was later taken to University of Missouri Hospital in Columbia. He did not have an update on his condition while at MU, but he said a Bothwell doctor reported the man had been in stable condition while at Bothwell.
Casto confirmed to the Democrat that Harper was involved in helping to hide 18-year-old Henry L. Ward after a 2016 Sedalia shooting. Ward was arrested June 30, 2016, in connection with an early morning shooting in the 1800 block of South Sneed Avenue where a 27-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman were injured.
About a week later, Harper was arrested and charged with hindering prosecution of a felony. According to court documents, “Maurice stated that Henry looks to him as a ‘father figure’ and he helped raise Henry.”
According to court documents, Harper told detectives Ward arrived at his apartment asking for a ride to Columbia to see his son, adding that he would pay Harper $50 for the ride. Harper drove Ward to Columbia about 7:15 a.m. Shortly after 10 a.m., Columbia Police Department officers arrived to arrest Ward.
Harper initially denied Ward had entered his apartment but later admitted to what happened.
Harper was scheduled to have a jury trial April 24 at the Pettis County Courthouse.
Anyone with information concerning Harper’s death is asked to call SPD and speak with detective John Fellows at 660-827-7823 ext. 1217.
