Convict charged with murder day after shooting, Columbia Police say
A day after a deadly shooting, a man has been charged with multiple crimes, including murder, the Columbia Police Department said Tuesday.
Craig Lamar Edwards, 49, was also charged with kidnapping and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, jail records show.
Other charges Edwards faces stemming from the incident include sale or delivery and possession of weapons, failure to stop for blue lights, and unlawful carrying of a pistol, Richland County court records show.
Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said Michael Booker, 53, died from gunshot wounds to his upper body.
Booker and Edwards knew each other and were seen arguing before the shooting, the Columbia Police Department said in a news release.
The shooting happened before 2 p.m. Monday, police said on Twitter.
Officers responding to a shots fired call found Booker’s body in the 100 block of Rose Drive, according to the tweet. That’s near the intersection with South Kilbourne Road, less than a mile from Hunter-Gatherer Brewery/Taproom and City Roots.
Edwards was detained for questioning following a car chase, said police, who called the shooting isolated.
He left the scene in a car, and led police on a chase through North Columbia, police said. It went from Lorick Avenue to Columbia College Drive, and into Earlwood on Richfield Drive before ending in 1200 block of Northwood Street, according to the release.
Edwards is being held without bond at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, jail records show.
Prior to the shooting, Edwards had a criminal record in Richland County
After being charged with domestic violence, Edwards pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and battery in 2015, and was sentenced to time served, court records show.
Edwards was sentenced to six months in jail in 2014 after being convicted on a drugs (cocaine base) charge, according to court records.
He pleaded guilty to a marijuana possession charge in 2013, court records show.
This was the first of two deadly shootings that happened in Columbia Monday, police tweeted.
In an unrelated incident, a man was shot at 511 Alcott Drive was taken to an area hospital where he died late in the night, according to the tweet. That’s near the intersection with Fairfield Road (U.S. 321), not far from the junction with Interstate 20 at Exit 70.
The coroner’s office said James Patterson was the man killed in the Alcott Drive shooting.
Information on a Patterson’s shooter, or shooters, was not available.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 10:40 AM.
