Richland coroner needs help finding relative of slain West Columbia cab driver

The Richland County Coroner’s Office identified a taxi cab driver who was killed in a Sunday shooting and is asking for help with contacting the man’s family.

Sunday, Paul Swatsell, 53, was shot in the upper body just before 10 p.m. while working for Checker Yellow Cab Company, authorities said. The shooting occurred on the 4300 block of Brookridge Drive, a residential area of north Columbia.

Paramedics rushed Swatsell to the Prisma Health Richland Hospital, where he died about an hour after the shooting.

Coroner Gary Watts asked for the public’s help to find a relative of Swatsell. The victim lived on Leaphart Street in West Columbia, Watts said.

Watts asked for anyone who knew Swatsell to call the Coroner’s Office at 803-576-1799.

No arrests have been made. The coroner’s office and Columbia Police Department are investigation.

This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 4:39 PM.

David Travis Bland

The State

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David Travis Bland is The State’s editorial editor. In his prior position as a reporter, he was named the 2020 South Carolina Journalist of the Year by the SC Press Association. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2010. Support my work with a digital subscription