Woman jailed, accused of killing man in Springfield Apartment in the city’s 9th homicide for 2025

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Springfield police say a woman has been charged with murder after an overnight shooting downtown.

According to the Springfield Police Department, Candise Hoskins, 28, of Springfield, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and two counts of first-degree robbery. Hoskins is being held at the Greene County Jail with no bond.

Investigators identified the victim as Xavier Scott, 21, of Springfield.

“I got in the elevator to level and there is blood in the elevator. I get out to the first floor there is like a trail of blood. Then over in the road, there is like a pool of blood,” said Malachi Vincent, a resident of The 505.

Springfield Police responded to the 505-apartment complex on East St. Louis near Benton for a shots-fired call just before 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night.

“They were banging on our door like identify yourself, we open the door and there is like nine cops with some of the biggest guns I have ever seen in my life,” said Adam Layden, a student at Drury who lives on the 4th floor of The 505.

They discovered 21-year-old Xavier Scott of Springfield was shot to death in a 4th-floor apartment.

“I didn’t really know what was going on, I had no clue, I was like, what the heck is happening, so I called my roommate, and he told me what was going on,” said Vincent.

The commotion is out of the ordinary. Those who live at The 505 say it’s a good place to live.

“It’s a good building, all my teammates live here, I play Drury Hockey, so we all live together, and we like it. It’s nice,” said Layden.

Police say the investigation is ongoing. And while police search for answers, those who live in the complex are wondering what’s next as well.

“We don’t know what is going on. Our coaches are reaching out to us. Just trying to figure out, we had classes this morning that we couldn’t go to because we didn’t know if we were allowed to leave the building. Just trying to figure out what is going on and what our plan of action is going to be moving forward,” said Layden.

Police ask anyone with additional information about this incident to call the Springfield Police Department at 417-864-1810 or make an anonymous call to Crime Stoppers at 417-869-TIPS (8477) or online at p3tips.com .

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