Columbiana Centre shooting suspect acted in self defense, turned self in, attorney says
The man arrested after a shooting that injured 14 people at the Columbiana Centre on Saturday acted in self defense and turned himself in immediately after the incident, his attorney says.
During a Sunday bond hearing at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, Todd Rutherford, attorney for Jewayne M. Price, 22, said his client was not a danger to anyone.
“He simply defended himself,” Rutherford said. “After the incident, he called law enforcement, he told them where he was and turned in his gun. He waited, he never left the scene.”
Price was arrested for unlawful carrying of a pistol. Judge Crystal Rookard set Price’s bond at $25,000 and also required that he be fitted with an ankle monitor and that he not interact with anyone involved in the case or visit the Columbiana Centre.
Price was one of three people first detained after the shooting. The other two people were released and police said they were looking for more suspects.
Fourteen people were injured during the incident but no one died, according to police. The victims range in age from 15 to 73 years old, police said.
Of those, nine were hit by gunfire and five others were hurt as people fled to exits, according to the release.
Injuries suffered by people who were attempting to leave the mall for safety include broken bones, lacerations and a head injury, police said.
As of midnight, a 73-year-old woman is the only victim who continues to receive medical treatment at a local hospital, according to a press release. All of the other victims have been treated and released, or were scheduled to be released, police said.
Rutherford, who is also a state representative, said in a press conference after the hearing that the other shooters involved came after Price unprovoked.
“This was a situation where they simply started shooting,” he said. “He’s a law abiding citizen … clearly these people provoked this and should be in custody.”
Several of Price’s family members were outside the detention center on Sunday, including his mother, Twana Ivery, who spoke in defense of her son.
“What would anybody else do put in a situation like that,” she said.
This story was originally published April 17, 2022 at 3:30 PM.
