Pregnant woman shot by son while waiting in Rush’s drive-thru, Lexington County cops say
A Columbia woman was taken to an area hospital Wednesday after getting shot while waiting at the drive-thru of a Rush’s restaurant, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
The bullet was fired from inside the 2003 Mercedez-Benz that the pregnant 29-year-old was driving, according to an incident report from the sheriff’s department. The woman’s autistic son pulled the trigger of a gun he found inside the car, the incident report said.
Deputies responded to the shooting at 8:25 p.m. at the Rush’s at 283 Harbison Blvd., according to the incident report. That’s by the intersection with Columbiana Drive, near Columbiana Centre in the popular shopping and dining district.
A Columbia police officer was already on the scene and told deputies the woman was inside the car in the drive-thru line when she heard a gunshot and realized she had been shot in the stomach area, the incident report said.
The shot came from the backseat, where her son was seated, according to the incident report.
The deputy did not get a chance to speak to the victim, who was holding her torso and had blood on the front of her shirt when EMS put her in an ambulance and took her to Prisma Health Richland hospital, the incident report said.
The woman’s injury isn’t life threatening, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Capt. Adam Myrick told The State Thursday.
Myrick said the sheriff’s department has not received information about any problems with the baby the woman is carrying. Without giving specific details, Myrick said both mother and baby are in good condition and are expected to make a full recovery.
During the incident, the boy was taken inside the Rush’s until help arrived, according to the incident report.
During a search of the car, the deputy saw blood on the driver’s seat and found a small hole in the seat consistent with a bullet, according to the incident report.
“It appeared a single shot came from the rear seat, through the front back rest, and entered (the victim’s) body,” the deputy said in the incident report.
The deputy found a small pistol with 12 loaded rounds in the magazine, but an empty chamber, according to the incident report. An empty shell was found on the floor board on the rear passenger side of the car, the incident report said.
When a 31-year-old man, identified in the incident report as the victim’s “significant other” arrived at the Rush’s, he said neither the woman nor he knew there was a gun in the car. He told the deputy that the victim doesn’t normally use that car, but he does, according to the incident report.
He continued, telling the deputy he uses the car to drive several friends around to play basketball. He said all his friends carry guns, “some legally some illegally,” but he doesn’t know who is the owner of the gun, according to the incident report.
There was no word if anyone would face charges for a possible crime connected to the gun, but the sheriff’s department is continuing to investigate the shooting, Myrick said.
One person who definitely won’t be charged with any crimes is the child, who is under 10 years old, according to Myrick.
The boy is with his mother, Myrick said.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 1:34 PM.
