Cayce man was shot, but he’s locked up for firing gun at others first, sheriff says

A Cayce man who was injured in a shooting is behind bars because he initially fired a gun at two people, including his ex-girlfriend, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said.

Christopher James Costello, 22, was shot in self defense, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.

The shooting happened Saturday night in front of a home on Pear Court, according to the release. That’s off Mineral Springs Road in Lexington, and about three miles from the junction with Interstate 20 and Sunset Boulevard/U.S. 378.

Costello was in his car when he followed his ex-girlfriend and another person to a home on Pear Court, where he fired a few rounds at them, Sheriff Jay Koon said in the release.

The person with the ex-girlfriend was armed and returned fire, according to the release. That shooter is a concealed weapons permit holder.

Costello was shot in the upper body and suffered a non-life-threatening injury, the sheriff’s department said.

No other injuries were reported by the sheriff’s department.

“Costello drove away from the scene and, after he was treated and released at a hospital, he was booked into the Lexington County Detention Center Sunday morning,” Koon said.

He was charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a weapon during a violent crime, jail records show. Costello remains behind bars after he was denied bond on all three charges, according to jail records.

Information on a motive for the shooting was not available.

“It’s very fortunate nobody else was hurt during this incident,” Koon said.

This story was originally published December 2, 2020 at 9:20 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

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Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription