Two men charged with murder following shooting near USC campus, Columbia police say
Two men were charged with murder, and other crimes, following a shooting near the campus of the University of South Carolina, the Columbia Police Department said Sunday.
In addition to murder, Saequan Anderson, 20, and Pierre Bouknight, 32, are being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on charges of armed robbery and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, jail records show.
Police arrested Anderson and Bouknight Saturday, four days after the body of 30-year-old Stephen Michael Seegars was found in the parking lot of the Rivers Edge Apartments, at 1 Catawba Circle, police said in a news release. That’s next to the Congaree River and Founders Park, the home stadium of the University of South Carolina baseball team.
Several USC students live in that area — where Huger Street turns into Whaley Street, near Granby Mills and Olympia Mills. Seegars was not a student at USC, university spokesman Jeff Stensland told The State. There’s no record that Anderson and Bouknight were enrolled at the university, according to Stensland.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office said Seegars died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the release.
Police said Anderson and Bouknight spoke with Seegars before shots were fired. They’re accused of stealing Seegars’ belongings, including his wallet, before leaving the scene, according to the release.
There’s no indication that Seegars knew Anderson and Bouknight, police said.
Anderson and Bouknight remain behind bars while awaiting a bond hearing, jail records show.
Anderson is also being held on charges filed by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department for sale/delivery of a stolen pistol, unlawful carrying of a weapon, and possession of marijuana (28 grams or less) or hash (10 grams or less), according to jail records. No bond has been set on those county charges.
The sheriff’s department assisted police in the investigation.
Bouknight was convicted on a drug charge in addition to a possession of a stolen vehicle charge in 2012, Richland County court records show. In 2015, Bouknight was convicted on a shoplifting charge, according to court records.
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