Have you seen this man? Police release sketch of suspect in Columbia church shooting
The Forest Acres Police Department has released a sketch of the suspect who opened fire during a Sunday morning service at a South Carolina Church.
The suspect shot a man attending the church service during the armed robbery, police said.
A witness who was outside the church prior to the shooting provided details for the sketch, according to a Tuesday news release.
It was difficult for any of the members of the Centro Cristiano De Columbia Church congregation to identify the shooter because his face was covered with a bandanna and he had a beanie on the top of his head, according to the release.
The shooting occurred just after 6 a.m. at the church near the Decker Mall Shopping Center and the intersection of Decker Boulevard and Trenholm Road.
The suspect was alone when he entered demanding money, according to the news release.
During that shooting, the robber — whom has yet to be identified — fired three shots. Two of those were in the air, and the third struck a 23-year-old churchgoer who stood up after kneeling for prayer, Forest Acres Police Chief Marion Sealy said at a Monday news conference.
After leaving with an undisclosed amount of stolen money, the suspect got into an empty dark-colored Toyota Prius, possibly dark blue, according to police. He drove south on Decker Boulevard toward Percival Road and the intersection with Interstate 77, police said.
The man who was shot suffered life-threatening injuries, Sealy said in a Sunday interview with The State. The churchgoer was taken to an area hospital and went directly into surgery, Sealy said.
On Tuesday, Sealy said the gunshot victim was in critical but stable condition at the hospital.
The suspect is facing multiple charges for armed robbery, gun crimes, kidnapping and attempted murder, according to Sealy, who added those charges could be upgraded, including murder, if the shooting victim dies.
Given that the robbery was at such an early mass, police believe the gunman had some prior knowledge of the church and what time mass would be, Sealy said.
“We think he was familiar with the church,” Sealy said.
Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or report it to CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
The church’s congregation — about 20 people were present during the shooting — is primarily Hispanic, but police believe this was a robbery and not a hate crime.
“It’s a terrible crime, but he did come in demanding money, so we’re treating it as an armed robbery,” Sealy said.
Dylann Roof, a self-avowed white supremacist, murdered nine black parishioners in June 2015 during a Bible study session at Charleston’s historic Mother Emanuel AME Church. Roof pleaded guilty to nine counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. He is on death row in Indiana.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
This story was originally published August 27, 2019 at 5:37 PM.
