He wasn't afraid to jump out of planes. Then, this Army reservist was shot in Five Points

The mother of a young man injured in Sunday's Five Points shooting said her son remains under sedation two days after undergoing surgery for a gunshot wound to the back of the neck.

Sheraldine Whitley Lewis's son, Howard Boone Jr., was one of three innocent bystanders struck by gunfire in Columbia's nightlife district early Sunday morning. Two remain hospitalized, including Boone, who suffered a spinal injury.

"He's still very critical. He hasn't seen us yet," Lewis told The State on Tuesday.

Boone, 23, was visiting Columbia from Raleigh, N.C., where he attends St. Augustine's University.

The university identified Boone as a criminal justice major and member of the school's ROTC program. His mother said he has served in the U.S. Army Reserves since 2013 and plans to seek a commission as a U.S. Army officer after graduating from college next year.

A football player in high school and a drummer at his family's church, Covenant Life Fellowship Church in Wake Forest, N.C., Boone, has too many hobbies to keep up with.

"He constantly has so many interests," said Lewis, who was caught off guard when Howard announced that he wanted to attend airborne school at Fort Benning in Georgia.

"I was like, 'Are you serious?' You're going to jump out of a plane?'" she said.

Boone successfully completed five jumps and earned his airborne certification last year.

In a promotional video released by St. Augustine University, Boone described his first jump.

"Everything was in slow motion," Boone said. "I (saw) the plane slowly drifting away from me, and I, in my head, was thinking, 'I just jumped out of a perfectly good plane.'

"I was just very locked in — being that I was the only African-American male that was there as a cadet," he continued. "I knew there was no way that I could fail ... From that point on, I was like,' I can do anything.'"

Lewis said she wasn't surprised when her son successfully completed training and earned his airborne wings.

"When he decides to do something, he does it," she said.

Also wounded in Sunday's shooting was Anfernee Kirkland, 22, an airman first class at Sumter's Shaw Air Force Base with the 20th Equipment Maintenance Squadron. Kirkland, who suffered a lower back injury, is recuperating at his home, the air base said in a release.

The third victim, Kidron Amaziah Deal, 20, from Winnsboro, was shot in the face and remains on a ventilator in the hospital, according to hospital officials. Deal is a former wide receiver on the Fairfield Central High School football team who graduated in 2015.

Arthur Jones Jr., 22, of Hopkins, is charged with three counts of attempted murder in connection with the shooting. He also faces a charge of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. A magistrate set bond for Jones at $3 million Monday.

Investigators said Jones was involved in an argument with another man before he fired multiple shots into a large crowd, striking the three innocent bystanders.

This story was originally published March 20, 2018 at 12:51 PM with the headline "He wasn't afraid to jump out of planes. Then, this Army reservist was shot in Five Points."