NEVADA, Mo. (KSNF/KODE) – A Nevada, Missouri man is dead after a shooting at an I-49 gas station. The suspect was arrested after witnesses to the shooting watched him walking to Burger King. Along the way officers allege he tossed a gun in a bush.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Nevada Police Department, the victim and suspect knew each other.
Police responded Wednesday evening, September 22, 2021, to 2424 E. Austin Blvd for a shooting in the parking lot.
The victim, Justin Goolsby, 32, was rushed to Nevada Regional Medical Center, he did not survive. He was pronounced at 7:24 p.m.
Officer David Johnson spoke to witnesses who observed the suspect flee the scene on foot to the west.
“Law enforcement encountered the suspect in Burger King at 2200 E. Austin Blvd. And was taken into custody. Officer Dinnsen located a .45 caliber handgun that was placed in a bush between Pilot and BK. He was identified as Steven S. Vignolo.”
Steven Sam Vignolo, 62, address listed as homeless, is charged with:
- Murder 1st Degree
- Armed Criminal Action
As the investigation unfolded Capt. Westerhold interviewed the suspect at the jail.
“During the interview with him, Vignolo reported he was angry at Goolsby for allegedly inappropriately touching his (Goolsby’s) daughter, who is also Vignolo’s grandchild. He knew that Goolsby was going to have a child custody exchange this evening and he knew it normally happens at Pilot Travel Center.
Vignolo reported he walked to Pilot from 71 Motel and seen Goolsby’s truck in the parking lot. He walked up to the vehicle to confront Goosby and shot inside the vehicle multiple times. He told me that he walked up and said the victim’s name and starting shooting. He then walked back to the west until law enforcement contacted him at Burger King. Vignolo confirmed he had a .45 caliber handgun.”
Vignolo is being held in the Vernon County jail on a no-bond hold. There is no court date listed for Vignolo’s appearance in court.
Joplin News First notes that the victim, Justin Goolsby, 32, is not listed on the Missouri or Kansas Sex Offender Registry.