On the evening of Saturday, August 22, 2020, officers in Malden, Missouri, responded to a shooting in the 200 block of North Decatur Street. Thirty-two-year-old Ryan Allen Lehnig was found with gunshot wounds; emergency responders attempted aid but he died at the scene. Investigators say a verbal dispute between Lehnig and an acquaintance in the home escalated when the acquaintance retrieved a handgun and opened fire.

Law enforcement identified 38-year-old Steven Kirkwood of Malden as the suspect, reported to have fled the scene while bleeding. Kirkwood was located two days later at a hotel in Marston, Missouri, and taken into custody. He was charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Kirkwood later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder; a formal sentencing hearing had been scheduled for July 12, 2023.

Did anyone in Malden know Lehnig or have information about the dispute that led to this shooting?