Drug robbery gone wrong blamed in homicide

The search continues for a Poplar Bluff man charged with a recent home invasion that left one dead and another with serious injuries.

Stacy Andrew Gipson

A no-bond warrant was issued Friday for the arrest of Stacy Andrew Gipson.

The 25-year-old is charged with the Class A felonies of first-degree murder and first-degree assault, the Class B felony of first-degree attempted robbery and three unclassified felonies of armed criminal action.

“He’s got a murder first charge, so you have to consider him armed and dangerous,” said Poplar Bluff Police Chief Danny Whiteley.

Gipson

If someone is helping Gipson hide, “they could be subject to having charges of harboring a fugitive being filed against them,” Whiteley said. “And, if they’re hiding him out, they are putting other people in danger with him being there.”

Whiteley said he would “personally like” to see Gipson call the police department.

“I will make arrangements to let him turn himself in peacefully, so nobody else gets hurt,” Whiteley said.

Anyone with information as to Gipson’s whereabouts is asked to contact the police department at 573-785-5776.

A second suspect, Christopher “Jantzen” Gilmore, 22, was arrested Wednesday at his Poplar Bluff residence. He was charged Friday with the same charges as Gipson and is being held without bond in the Butler County jail.

Gipson is alleged to have caused the death of Kevin Sanders, 23, and serious physical injury to Adriana Lundy, 23, by shooting them.

The shooting occurred at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday at Sanders’ residence in the 100 block of Begley Street.

When police Sgt. Shonna Grobe and Patrolman Billie Duckett responded, they found Sanders lying face down on the kitchen floor with blood underneath his upper torso, Detective Corey Mitchell wrote in his probable-cause statement.

“Sgt. Grobe examined Sanders’ person and noticed he was bleeding profusely from a single gunshot wound that he sustained to his chest,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said Grobe provided aid to Sanders, who was unconscious. Sanders subsequently was taken to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Duckett contacted Lundy, who was laying on a bedroom floor, Mitchell said.

Lundy had “sustained apparent gunshot wounds to her lower extremities,” Mitchell said.

Lundy’s injuries earlier were described as serious, but not life threatening. She was taken to the local hospital for treatment and later transferred to an out-of-town medical facility.

Mitchell said Grobe interviewed a witness, who reported she and Sanders were roommates, and Lundy was a friend/guest of Sanders.

“(The witness) stated she was lying in bed when she heard a loud boom and soon thereafter, she heard gunshots,” Mitchell said. “(She) did not see any of the altercation take place, but exited the room to find Sanders shot in the kitchen.”

Grobe, he said, also spoke with Lundy, who reported after Gilmore arrived, “he was met in the kitchen by Sanders, where they had a short conversation.

“(She) stated Gilmore was not at the home very long, and she heard the house alarm go off ... she grabbed a pellet gun pistol that was lying nearby, and she attempted to go see what caused the alarm to go off.”

The alarm reportedly went off when Gipson allegedly kicked in the door.

Lundy further reported she was confronted by Gipson just inside the doorway, Mitchell said.

“Lundy stated Gipson had a gun in hand, and he shot her several times,” Mitchell said. “While being shot, Lundy believed she fired at least one round from the pellet gun. ...

“(She) said she was shot first and then Sanders was shot.”

Lundy later was interviewed by a Missouri State Highway Patrol investigator and provided a more detailed account, in which she described Gilmore as an “expected guest,” but not Gipson, Mitchell said.

“(She) believed Gilmore and Gipson were working in concert with each other to rob them,” Mitchell said.

Investigators, Mitchell said, found several “vacuumed-sealed bags that contained differing weights and labeling for different kinds of marijuana,” as well as “several thousand dollars” in cash in a bedroom.

Mitchell said Gilmore also was interviewed and admitted he initially went to Gipson’s Wallace Street residence for the purpose of trying to “obtain a quantity of marijuana from Gipson, but Gipson did not have any.

“Gilmore stated he told Gipson that he (Gilmore) could get some marijuana from Lundy.”

Gipson allegedly asked Gilmore to “contact her and arrange it,” Mitchell said. “According to Gilmore, Gipson talked about Lundy previously being robbed ... and that he wanted to rob (her) of her marijuana and money.”

Mitchell said Gilmore reported Gipson “devised a plan” to rob Lundy.

The plan, Mitchell said, was for Gilmore to go inside to purchase the marijuana and then “Gipson and two other Black males would enter ... with guns and rob Lundy of her marijuana and money.”

Mitchell said Gilmore alleged he had been told by Gipson to “‘act like a victim’ when he and the other Black males did this ‘lick’ (robbery).”

Gilmore, Mitchell said, reported he arranged to purchase a quarter pound of marijuana from Lundy for $525, and the money was provided to him by Gipson.

Lundy, Gilmore alleged, arranged for the transaction to take place at Sanders’ home instead of hers.

Mitchell said Gilmore further alleged Gipson was armed with a handgun when he forced a door open, entered and fired a “warning shot” before proceeding to a hallway.

Gilmore reported hearing a shot fired from a small-caliber firearm, which Mitchell believes was Lundy’s pellet gun, and then three shots fired by a larger-caliber firearm believed to be Gibson’s.

Mitchell said Gilmore reported he then ran from the home, but saw through a door as Gipson allegedly pointed his gun at Sanders, and Sanders falling to the floor after another shot was heard.

When Gipson fled, Gilmore reported Gipson had “unknown item(s) wrapped up in his hoodie.”

During the execution of a search warrant on Gipson’s home, Mitchell said, officers found “a package of marijuana,” which “matches the marijuana packaging” found at the Begley Street home.