Woman killed in Columbia apartment shooting identified after two people were arrested
Two people have been arrested in connection with the shooting death of a 23-year-old woman who was found dead outside of Columbia’s Colony Apartments on Tuesday.
Miasia T. James, a Columbia resident, is the homicide victim, Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said Wednesday night.
The Columbia Police Department has charged 19-year-old Jimmy Murphy Kelly with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, police said Wednesday. Twenty-one-year-old Zavia Dorsey has been charged with obstruction of justice.
Both were booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
No bond was set for Kelly, who remains behind bars at the Richland County detention center, jail records show. Dorsey is not listed on the current inmate roster and information about her bail situation was not available.
Kelly is accused of shooting his female acquaintance Tuesday in a parking lot of the Colony Apartments.
Columbia police reported that the motive for the shooting is under investigation.
“Evidence collected at the scene is offering valuable information,” the department said in a statement Wednesday, though no additional details or specific information about that evidence was provided.
Dorsey is accused of not coming forward with information about the shooting, according to police.
At about noon Tuesday, officers responded to the Colony Apartments and found James, police said. She was unresponsive and died at the scene outside of the apartment complex, according to police.
No other injuries were reported.
The Colony Apartments are by the intersection of West Beltline Boulevard and Farrow Road.
Residents at the apartment complex have also been dealing with unsafe conditions unrelated to the shooting. Residents were evacuated Tuesday after going two days without heat or water. The Columbia-Richland Fire Department and Columbia Code Enforcement are now inspecting the property. Residents have been evacuated to area hotels, WLTX reported.
This story was originally published December 28, 2022 at 3:53 PM.
