Teens charged with murder after man found shot in car, Richland County sheriff says
A day after a man was fatally shot, two teenagers were charged with murder, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said Wednesday.
Travis Lamar Mitchell, 19, and Vashaun Alija Gaulman, 18, were also charged with obstructing justice, jail records show.
The killing was a drug-related incident, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
At about 3:20 p.m. Tuesday, deputies responded to a shots fired call, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
Deputies found a man who had been shot when they arrived at the Waters at Longcreek Apartments, at 1401 Longcreek Drive, according to the release. That’s in Columbia, in the area near the junction of Interstate 20 and Broad River Road, about a mile from Dutch Square Mall.
The man was inside a car when deputies discovered he had been shot in the upper body, the sheriff’s department said.
The man was taken to an area hospital where he died, according to the release.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office is expected to publicly identify the man after notifying the his family.
No other injuries were reported.
On Wednesday, Mitchell and Gaulman turned themselves in to investigators without incident, the sheriff’s department said.
Both were taken to Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, according to the release. No bond was set for either Mitchell or Gaulman, and both remain behind bars, jail records show.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published December 1, 2021 at 7:22 AM.
