Stenson convicted of all charges in 2019 Willard shooting

Shooting victims testify in court; felon faces up to 130 years in prison
 
A Springfield man who was charged with multiple felonies stemming from the 2019 shootings of two people was convicted of six felony charges after a three-day trial at the Greene County Justice Center. Kwaim Allen Stenson, 33, was found guilty of three counts of unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of first-degree assault, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after his trial concluded on Wednesday, May 19.
According to the probable cause statement in the case, Stenson was accused of shooting two people: George Brooks, of Springfield, and Jason Long, of Willard, with both shootings taking place on June 22, 2019. At the time that Long was shot, he was walking on the Greenway Trail in Willard with his fiancée, Amanda Bowser.

First shooting:

The Greene County Commonwealth reported in June of 2019 that Brooks told officers he was riding his bicycle near the intersection of Alliance Avenue and Kearney when a “white passenger car slowed down and pulled up from behind him with the passenger side vehicle almost directly up against his bicycle.”
Brooks reported that his bike hit the vehicle because it was so close. Then, he saw the driver of the vehicle pointing a black handgun at him. Brooks told officers he heard gun shots and said he believed that the driver fired five shots at him. He believed he was hit in the shoulder, so he dropped his bicycle and ran into a wooded area.
Brooks said the driver was a black male with a bigger body frame, wearing a dark colored shirt and described the vehicle as an ‘80s model white passenger car with a boxy style, possibly a Lincoln or a Buick. Brooks was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the shoulder.
Officers found Brook’s bicycle on the west side of the road in the grass. A broken mirror from a vehicle was found near the center of the road from where he said he was shot.

Second shooting:
Long was shot later the same evening. According to the probable cause statement filed in that instance, he was struck twice in the abdomen, damaging his colon, liver and intestines.
Bowser said that while she and Long were walking on the trail, they saw headlights approaching them from the south; they thought this was unusual as vehicles aren’t allowed on the trail. They stepped off the trail to allow the car to pass, but as the car came within 10 feet of Long, the driver pointed a gun out of the driver’s side window and fired about five or six shots at them before continuing north, turning west onto Farm Road 94 and driving out of sight.
Bowser gave a description of the car similar to Brooks’; a white, boxy-style car, possibly a Lincoln. She also described the driver as a black male.
Greene County deputies found three shell casings at the scene marked RMI.

Stenson apprehended:
Stenson was taken into custody later that evening in Fair Play while he was stopped at a convenience store. A Polk County deputy sheriff observed him and his vehicle and realized they matched the description of the driver and vehicle from the shootings; he detained Stenson.
Stenson was reported to have been found carrying two fully-loaded magazines with 9mm rounds, a holster for a Glock-style handgun, a large knife, and a bag of loose 9mm ammunition. A search of his vehicle found a 9mm Glock handgun, loaded magazines, clothing, water purification tablets, and binoculars. Some of the shell casings were marked RMI, like the casings recovered at the second shooting scene. Stenson’s vehicle also had damage to the exterior, matching the damage caused by Brooks’ bicycle.

The trial:
During Stenson’s trial, the prosecution presented testimony from 18 witnesses, including Long, Bowser and Brooks. Stenson did not testify during his trial, and his defense attorney presented no witnesses. On the third day of the trial, the jury retired at 10:43 a.m. for deliberations; they returned with their guilty verdict by 12:01 p.m. Stenson was remanded back to the Greene County Jail, where he has been held since his arrest. He will remain in custody there until his sentencing on Friday, July 23. He faces a maximum sentence of up to 130 years.