Charges filed in June Rockaway Beach shooting

Four people are facing charges in connection with a June shooting in Rockaway Beach.

Zachary Loren Trussell and Kenneth Xavier Haack are in the Taney County Jail facing a litany of felony charges including two counts of First Degree Assault causing Serious Physical Injury, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Tampering with Physical Evidence in a Felony Prosecution and Hindering Prosecution of a Felony.

Vanyard Conner Phillips is also in the Taney County Jail, charged with two counts of First Degree Assault causing Serious Physical Injury, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, Unlawful Use of a Weapon and two counts of Tampering with Physical Evidence in a Felony Prosecution.

Wyatt Adam Timothy Cardinel is charged with two counts of First Degree Assault causing Serious Physical Injury, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, and Unlawful Use of a Weapon.

If convicted on the assault or unlawful weapon use charges, any of the four could be sentenced to life in prison.

According to documents filed in Taney County court, deputies with the Taney County Sheriff’s Office were called to Cox Medical Center Branson for three juveniles with gunshot wounds. 

Deputies spoke with witnesses and victims to determine the incident took place in Rockaway Beach. A black Honda CRV went to a location and people inside the vehicle opened fire at the first victim, striking them twice in the right arm.

Investigators were informed of a previous altercation between a suspect and the car’s occupants. Another witness told police the first victim had approached the vehicle involved to buy marijuana and the situation was described as a “dope deal gone wrong” in the probable cause statement.

Witnesses allegedly told law enforcement a suspect of the investigation opened fire on the vehicle and two people inside the vehicle were injured; one suffering a gunshot wound to their thigh and the second being grazed by a bullet on the back.

The probable cause statement continues to say a juvenile being considered a witness was read their Juvenile Miranda Rights Warning and interviewed with a Juvenile Officer from the department in the room. The statement accuses “ZT” of obstructing the investigation by “withholding information about the case.” It stated ZT changed their statement three times. First he was near the residence when a vehicle drove by and began shooting; the second time he was asked about a suspect shooting at the vehicle and said no to indicate it didn’t happen before later admitting it did. The third time ZT told investigators the suspect had more firearms than “he leads on.”

The investigators then say ZT admitted to tampering with evidence by taking the firearm from the scene to his residence.

Another person described in the probable cause statements as a witness and identified as VP is alleged to have told police they went back and “grabbed the bullet casings from his driveway.” The witness them provided the casings to the police.

VP also told police he transported the initial victim to the hospital for medical treatment along with ZT.

ZT requested a meeting with his attorney present on July 28, whereupon he was read his Miranda rights, and wrote in a statement he did not see who was first to present a firearm.

On Aug. 4, video surveillance of the incident showed ZT pointing a firearm at the victim’s vehicle, causing the injuries to two victims and attempting to “cause great bodily harm to another human.”

As of press time, all remain in the Taney County Jail without bond and none of the four have attorneys listed in Missouri CaseNet.