The search for a Poplar Bluff man wanted in connection with a home invasion that left one dead and another with serious injuries ended after five weeks with no sign of him.
The U.S. Marshals located Stacy Andrew Gipson, 25, in West Virginia on Monday morning, where his mother lives, according to a release.
Gipson is wanted in connection to a Dec. 1 incident. He is accused of causing the death of Kevin Sanders, 23, and the serious physical injury of Adriana Lundy, 23, by shooting them.
A non-bond warrant was issued for Gipson on Dec. 4. He 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.
Police Chief Danny Whiteley said the department reached out to the U.S. Marshals Service in Cape Girardeau of Dec. 9 “and asked them to provide assistance in locating Gipson, due to the interstate flight. Information was developed that Gipson was possibly at his mother’s residence in Charleston, West Virginia.”
According to Whiteley, on Thursday, Dec. 31, assistance was requested from the U.S. Marshals Service in the Southern District of West Virginia, which is located in Charleston.
Monday morning, around 9 a.m., Gipson was observed walking in an area under surveillance.
Whiteley said U.S. Marshals attempted to arrest Gipson, who fled on foot, but was taken into custody after a short foot pursuit and placed under arrest. No injuries to Gipson or the U.S. Marshals were reported.
At the beginning of the month, Gipson allegedly planned to rob Lundy for marijuana and money, according to police Det. Corey Mitchell’s probable-cause statement.
The shooting occurred at about 10:30 p.m. Dec. 1 at Sanders’ residence in the 100 block of Begley Street.
When officers arrived, they found Sanders bleeding profusely from a single gunshot wound in his chest and Lundy on the bedroom floor with “gunshot wounds to her lower extremities,” Mitchell said.
Christopher “Jantzen” Gilmore, 22, of Poplar Bluff allegedly went to Gipson’s residence in the 1500 block of Wallace Street to “obtain a quantity of marijuana” after he got off work that night, but Gipson did not have any.
Gilmore allegedly said he could get some from Lundy and Gipson asked him to arrange it.
“According to Gilmore, Gipson talked about Lundy previously being robbed ... and that he wanted to rob (her) of her marijuana and money.”
The two allegedly came up with a plan for Gilmore to go into the residence to purchase the marijuana from Lundy, then “Gipson and two other Black males wound enter ... with guns and rob Lundy of her marijuana and money.”
Gipson told Gilmore to “‘act like a victim,’” Mitchell said. He allegedly provided Gilmore with the $525 to purchase a quarter pound of marijuana.
Allegedly, Gipson entered the Sanders’ residence, where Lundy told Gilmore to come, from the back entrance and fired a “warning shot” with a handgun before proceeding to a hallway.
Gilmore reported hearing a shot fired from a small-caliber firearm, which Mitchell believes to be a pellet gun Lundy said she remembers firing, and then three shots fired by a larger-caliber firearm believed to be Gibson’s.
Mitchell said Gilmore reported he ran from the home, but saw through the door as Gipson allegedly pointed his gun at Sanders and Sanders falling to the floor after another shot was heard.
Gilmore reported Gipson had “unknown item(s) wrapped in his hoodie” when he left Sanders’ residence and Gilmore drove him home.
According to Gilmore, Gipson took his phone and deleted Gilmore’s Snapchat account and phone number before threatening him to “not talk or tell anyone what happened,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said a search warrant for Gipson’s home was executed Dec. 2 and officers found a package of marijuana that matches those located on Begley Street.
Sanders was taken to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead. Lundy also went to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center before being transferred to an out-of-town medical facility.
Officers arrested Gilmore Dec. 2 at his home. He is scheduled to appear before Associate Circuit Judge C. Wade Pierce at 1 p.m., Jan. 14, for a preliminary hearing in his case. He faces the same charges as Gipson.
Whiteley wishes to express his sincere gratitude to the Criminal Investigation Division of the Poplar Bluff Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Butler County Sheriff’s Department, the U.S. Marshals Service in Cape Girardeau and West Virginia authorities, for their non-stop diligence in capturing a dangerous murder suspect, without anyone else being injured.
“If it wasn’t for the inter-agency cooperation, from both the local and federal partners, the suspect would still be on the loose and the public would still be in danger,” he said.