A Howell County man is facing felony charges after deputies say he fired multiple shots at an occupied vehicle on State Route 17. According to a probable cause statement filed by Lieutenant Torey Thompson of the Howell County Sheriff’s Office, three victims reported that someone shot at them on Sunday, October 18, 2026, striking their vehicle and flattening a rear tire. Deputies observed damage consistent with gunfire and learned the victims had been followed by someone they knew before pulling over. They told investigators the shots came from the back passenger window of the suspect vehicle.
West Plains Police later located and stopped the suspect vehicle. A consent search uncovered drug paraphernalia, and officers found a loaded 9mm magazine on passenger Jayden Elijah Reese, along with additional 9mm ammunition belonging to him. The driver of the vehicle told investigators that Reese fired the handgun at the victims and later threw the weapon from the vehicle. At the scene, deputies recovered three spent 9mm casings that matched the general characteristics of the ammunition found in Reese’s possession.
The probable cause statement notes that three people were inside the vehicle that was shot at, and that Reese is accused of firing from a motor vehicle at another occupied motor vehicle and armed criminal action.
Reese’s bond has been set at $75,000.
