Erik Spencer, 27, was shot and killed on November 1, 2025, in a parking lot outside an Old Navy on Missouri Boulevard in Jefferson City. The shooting followed a verbal altercation that escalated into a physical domestic disturbance near a Chili’s; witnesses described Spencer slapping, punching and throwing his girlfriend to the ground, then clinging to her car as she tried to drive away. He allegedly took the woman’s phone and threw it during the confrontation.

A man identified as Spencer Scriber, who was nearby with a friend, retrieved a firearm from his trunk and approached. Witness statements and Scriber's account to police say there was a brief verbal exchange, Scriber says Spencer made a movement toward his waistband and threatened to shoot, and Scriber then fired, striking Spencer multiple times. Witnesses said Scriber knelt beside Spencer and attempted to provide aid. Police reported Spencer was not armed with a gun, knife or blunt instrument; hands and feet were considered potential weapons given the initial assault.

The case was presented to a Cole County grand jury, which declined to indict Scriber on voluntary or involuntary manslaughter. The prosecutor said there was insufficient evidence to overcome Scriber's claim of self-defense and defense of another, and the investigation was closed. If anyone witnessed the events near the Chili’s or the Old Navy parking lot that night, or has additional information, please share what is known.