Homicide investigation in Lawrence County

A man from Lawrence County, Missouri, is charged with murder after a fatal shooting late Sunday night.

The suspect has been identified as 24-year-old Austin Stone, of Billings.

“Just after 11:00 p.m. on Sunday March 30th, 2025, Lawrence County Deputies were dispatched to a reported shooting located in the area of Lawrence 1210 and Lawrence 2240 Aurora, Missouri.

When deputies arrived, they found a male victim, deceased, in the roadway with multiple people around with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the body. It was determined that the suspect had fled the area. The scene was secured and investigators were called to the scene to begin processing the crime scene.

During the investigation a suspect lead was developed along with a possible vehicle description. This information was distributed to surrounding agencies. Shortly thereafter, Greene County deputies located the suspect and suspect vehicle and took the suspect into custody without incident.

“The suspect was transported back to the Lawrence County Jail for questioning. A request for formal charges have been filed with the Lawrence County Prosecuting Attorney and are expected at any time.

The victim and suspect were acquainted with each other and there is no threat to the public at this time.

The quick actions of several agencies involved expedited the investigation and the suspect being taken into custody in less than two hours from the time of the call.

“The Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office would like to express sincere thanks to our law enforcement partners in this investigation. Those include the Aurora/Marionville Police Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Barry County Sheriff’s Office, Greene County Sheriff’s Office and the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.

An autopsy will be schedule to determine the cause of death later this week. More information will be released pending notification of the victim’s family and the issuing of formal charges.”