Spurred by ‘deadly December,’ Richland County tallied more murders in 2020 than 2019
On a cold, dreary January Monday afternoon, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott’s mood seemed to match the weather, as the longtime lawman grappled with the violent reality of the Columbia area.
The seventh-term sheriff noted during a Monday afternoon news conference that a “deadly December” pushed the number of murders in Richland County in 2020 above the totals of the previous year. And 2021 hasn’t gotten off to a great start, as there have already been four murders in the county during a bloody January.
According to sheriff’s department statistics, there were 22 murders in Richland County in 2020, a slight uptick from the 21 murders in 2019. Lott said the county had 27 murders in 2018.
The bump in murders came despite a 2% dip in property crime and an overall 2% drop in violent crime in 2020, compared to the prior year.
Of the 22 Richland murders in 2020, seven came in the month of December.
“I shake my head and ask ‘Why?’ and ‘How?’ we can stop the killing we’ve got in our community,” Lott said. “There are a wide range of motives behind the (2020) murders. ... One is too many.”
Of the 22 killings in Richland County in 2020, two remain unsolved: A Feb. 22 incident in which 67-year-old Robert Gerhart was found dead in his home in Eastover with injuries to his upper body; and a Dec. 21 incident in which a 17-year-old was dropped off at a local hospital with a gunshot wound and later died.
Lott said RCSD deputies and U.S. Marshals also are seeking James Jamar Toatley, 31, in connection to a Dec. 19 incident at the Motor City Market on Fairfield Road. Toatley is accused of shooting into a car carrying four people, killing two. He faces two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Those who know of his whereabouts are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-CRIME-SC.
Because Toatley also is wanted on a warrant for a federal probation violation, there is a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
Violence has continued into January. A teenager was shot and killed Jan. 7 on Horrell Hill Road, and three people were killed in a Sunday shooting in the 700 Block of Zimalcrest Drive.
Looking ahead in 2021, Lott said the sheriff’s department will work on prevention efforts, hoping to discourage young people from getting caught up in crime.
“We have taken our school resource officers and youth services division and we’ve combined them into one (unit),” Lott said. “That’s our diversionary programs, where we work with our young people. We are going to try to do even more than we already do with our young people, to try to convince them that a gun is not an answer to anything, whatsoever.
“That gun is going to get you to one of two places: Either in the cemetery or in prison.”
While property and violent crime overall went down slightly in Richland County in 2020, Lott said that is of little solace as killings continue.
“I really don’t want to talk about crime being down when I’m up here talking about people dying,” Lott said.
This story was originally published January 11, 2021 at 5:25 PM.
