Man charged in fatal Columbia Waffle House shooting
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department charged a man in a fatal shooting at a Columbia Waffle House on Friday afternoon.
Deputies charged 24-year-old Raqwan Lamont Williams with murder and weapon possession during a violent crime.
At about 3 p.m., Williams shot the victim in the upper body outside the Waffle House at 7505 Two Notch Road in northeast Columbia near Interstate 20, according to deputies. The victim was able to run down Two Notch Road before collapsing near the intersection with Barbara Drive. Paramedics rushed the man to a hospital, where he died Friday evening.
Deputies were nearby when the shooting happened and were able to arrest Williams. They jailed him at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, where he remained as of Saturday afternoon awaiting a bond hearing. The department did not specify a motive for the shooting in a statement.
Murder is punishable with 30 years to life in prison.
Richland County has been dealing with a sharp increase in shootings, according to Sheriff Leon Lott. At least 55 people have been shot in the county this year, according to Lott.
Across South Carolina, violence increased from 2019 to 2020, including a 25% increase in murders, most of which are by shootings, according to the latest state crime report. Over the last five years, murders have increased 51%.