Campus Alert Archive
Mizzou

Homecoming Weekend Shooting Kills Stephens College Student Downtown, Prompting UM President's Ultimatum to Mayor

MOshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

At 1:42 AM on September 27, 2025, a shooting on East Broadway in downtown Columbia — hours before Mizzou's Homecoming parade — killed Stephens College senior Aiyanna Williams and wounded two others. The MU Alert system was activated but the initial alert reportedly contained errors. UM President Mun Choi issued an ultimatum to Columbia's mayor demanding action on downtown crime.

Alerts
1
Response
—
Killed
1
Injured
2
Institution
University of Missouri
Public R1 · MO
~32,000 studentsMU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTmulti-channel
Approximate reconstruction149 chars
MU ALERT: Shots fired on East Broadway between 8th and 9th Streets downtown. Avoid the area. Columbia Police are on scene. Multiple victims reported.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The shooting occurred at 1:42 AM CDT on September 27, 2025, only hours before Mizzou's Homecoming parade was set to begin downtown
11 shots were fired at East Broadway between Eighth and Ninth Streets, striking three people who were bystanders
The university later acknowledged errors in the initial MU Alert messaging, including a missing location
Context

Background

At 1:42 AM on September 27, 2025, 11 shots were fired on East Broadway in downtown Columbia during Mizzou's Homecoming weekend, killing Stephens College senior Aiyanna Williams and wounding two others. Misael Covarrubias, 23, of Fellsmere, Florida, was charged with second-degree murder after allegedly firing into a crowd during an argument near Ninth and Broadway (reporting on the exact cross streets on East Broadway varies between Eighth–Ninth and Ninth–Tenth). Williams, 23, was declared brain dead and remained on life support to allow for organ donation in line with her wishes. The MU Alert system was activated but the initial message reportedly contained errors, including a missing location — prompting the university to re-evaluate its alert protocols. The shooting's proximity to Mizzou's campus and its timing during Homecoming led UM President Mun Choi to issue an ultimatum to Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe demanding action on downtown crime. KSDK reported Choi characterized downtown crime as a 'crisis.' The university and city released a joint crime-fighting plan on October 1. KOMU covered the city's response.
Analysis

Key Findings

The MU Alert system reportedly had errors in the initial message (missing location), prompting a review of alert protocols
UM President Choi's unprecedented ultimatum to the Columbia mayor represented one of the most aggressive university responses to near-campus crime
The victim was a student at nearby Stephens College, not Mizzou, illustrating how downtown violence affects multiple institutions
Outcome
Misael Covarrubias, 23, of Fellsmere, Florida, was charged with second-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action, two counts of first-degree assault, and unlawful use of a weapon. Aiyanna Williams, a Stephens College senior nursing student, was declared brain dead and died on Sunday, September 28, 2025. UM President Choi demanded joint action with Columbia city leaders on downtown safety.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Stephens College student dies in downtown shooting (Columbia Missourian)
    columbiamissourian.com
  2. News
    UM president issues ultimatum to Columbia mayor (ABC17)
    abc17news.com
  3. News
    Florida man charged with murder in homecoming shooting (ABC17)
    abc17news.com
  4. News
    After shooting near Mizzou, student got an alert (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
    stltoday.com
  5. News
    Mizzou president battling crime crisis in Columbia (KSDK)
    ksdk.com
Tags
shootingfatalityhomecomingdowntownmissourialert-errorspresidential-ultimatumstephens-collegecrime-crisis
Added April 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion