Jefferson City police say some fight participants identified; mall incident tied to arson

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Jefferson City police say they have identified two juveniles and two adults involved in a shooting Friday night at a carnival at the Capital Mall in Jefferson City.

Police also said Tuesday that the incident is tied to fires that were intentionally set that night.

Police have taken two 16-year-olds into custody and cited Christianna Knight, 17, and Ashuntiera' Brown, 18, for involvement in the fracas that officers believe led to shots being fired in the air to break up the fight, according to a news release.

The Jefferson City Police Department said Tuesday that investigators believe the incident began when a group of kids were looking for a particular boy to fight him. The target's sister intervened and a group of women and girls assaulted her, police said.

The incident was shown live on video via social media, police say.

The shooter or shooters have not been identified.

Police say the fight is tied to an investigation into arson. The female assault victim's mother, 45-year-old Iasha Cannady, "decided to take matters into her own hands" and threw Molotov cocktails at two separate residences in retaliation for the fight, according to the release.

Cannady remained in the Cole County Jail on Tuesday without bond on three counts of arson.

Jefferson City police say they've increased staffing for the July 4 holiday "to deter any further planned retaliation."