Two men were killed in shootings, but no charges will be filed, Columbia Police say
Two 30-year-old men were killed in separate shootings in Columbia in the past week, but charges will not be filed in either death, as the Columbia Police Department deemed both unrelated incidents to be acts of self defense.
The decision not to make any arrests came after consulting with the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, police said Saturday in a news release.
The first shooting happened May 18 in the 2700 block of Edison Street, according to the release. That’s near the intersection of West Beltline Boulevard and Two Notch Road.
Officers arriving at the shooting found an unresponsive man on the ground outside of a home who was later identified as Troy Young, Jr., by Richland County Coroner Gary Watts.
An autopsy showed Young died from complications of gunshot wounds to the upper body, according to the release.
Police said witness interviews and evidence showed Young was the aggressor in the incident that escalated from a heated argument into an altercation.
Young was with a female he knew when he intentionally crashed his vehicle into a parked car at the Edison Street home, according to the release. The female was afraid for her life when she escaped from the car and went inside the home, police said.
Young was making violent threats as he tried to force his way inside the residence when he was shot, according to the release.
Police said the man who fired the gun has cooperated with the investigation.
The same was said about the man who was involved in an unrelated deadly shooting May 21 at a residence in the 100 block of Lorick Circle, according to the release. That’s about two miles from the Edison Street shooting, near Prisma Health Richland hospital.
Officers said they responded to a shooting at the Latimer Manor Apartments at about 4 p.m. and discovered a man inside who had been hit by gunfire.
Watts said Steven D. Johnson, Jr., died at an area hospital from complications of gunshot wounds to the upper body, according to the release.
Similar to the unrelated incident, witnesses and evidence showed Johnson was the aggressor, showing up uninvited at the apartment, police said.
Johnson forced his way past a woman who answered the door, pushing the acquaintance and ignoring orders to stop as he headed upstairs, according to the release.
After hearing the commotion, the man upstairs told investigators he thought someone was breaking into the home and fired at Johnson, police said.
