On the late afternoon of May 17, 2024, a dispute in the parking lot of a White Castle in Columbia, Missouri, escalated into a shooting that killed 56-year-old Columbia resident Louis Wardell Hart. The confrontation began as a physical struggle between Hart and another man and quickly turned violent. According to a probable cause statement, witnesses say Antione Lamont Armstrong, 24, tried to strike Hart; Hart drew a firearm and shot Armstrong, and while on the ground Armstrong allegedly returned fire and fatally wounded Hart. A second person was also struck and taken to a hospital by a private vehicle.

Antione Lamont Armstrong was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and two other felonies; as a convicted felon he was prohibited from possessing a firearm. His parole was revoked and he was denied bond. A 20-year-old woman, Jayden McGerald, was charged with tampering with evidence for allegedly attempting to hide the gun used by Armstrong. The legal proceedings are ongoing.

If anyone witnessed the struggle or the shooting in the White Castle parking lot, or has information about what led up to it, please come forward.