Man in Allen University shooting faces new charges after lying about his identity
CORRECTION: On Tuesday, the State Law Enforcement Division sent a news release that said the name and age of the suspect was incorrect in a previous statement. When arrested, the suspect gave police false information about his identity, according to SLED. SLED corrected the name of the person charged to Craishun Le Troy Nickens. The name and age of the suspect has been updated in this story.
State police agents charged a man on Saturday after a shooting at Allen University. A police officer was involved but authorities have not said whether the officer fired shots.
Officials with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division charged 25-year-old Craishun Le Troy Nickens, with carrying or displaying a firearm in or around a public building, and pointing and presenting the firearm at a person.
Columbia Police Department officers charged Nickens with marijuana and MDMA possession, as well as failure to stop at an officer’s command, according to jail records. Nickens is being held at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Lower Richland.
After presenting a fake ID and giving a false name to law enforcement when he was arrested, Nickens’ real identity was verified by fingerprint analysis in the National Crime Information Center database, SLED spokesman Tommy Crosby said Tuesday.
Nickens was wanted other arrest warrants prior to Friday’s shooting, according to Crosby.
Additional charges against the resident of Denmark, in Bamberg County, were filed, including being a felon in possession of a firearm, and giving false information to law enforcement, according to SLED. He was also charged with identity fraud from the incident, Richland County court records show.
Allen University’s director of marketing and communications, Anika Cobb, said no one was shot during the incident and that SLED has a person in custody. She could not say whether that person was an Allen student.
The shooting occurred Friday afternoon on the school’s campus but authorities did not release many details.
More than a dozen Columbia Police Department vehicles responded to the scene around 4 p.m. Minutes later, the department said that it was assisting SLED and the university with the incident.
Crosby told The State the agency assisted Allen University and responded in part because the shooting involved an officer. Crosby said shots were fired during a confrontation between an officer and a man.
SLED has not confirmed whether the officer was the shooter or was shot at. The agency also said both the officer and the man were injured in the incident but did not specify if those injuries were gunshot-related. None of the injuries are life-threatening, the agency said.
The shooting continues to be investigated by SLED.
The 5th Circuit Solicitors Office will prosecute the charges against Nickens.
This story was originally published September 12, 2020 at 12:02 PM.
