Shots fired from wooded area hit two people, Richland County Sheriff’s Department says
Two people were hospitalized overnight after being hit by gunfire, and a search is underway for the shooter or shooters, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
At about 1:45 a.m., the driver of a vehicle that ran off the roadway and a tow truck driver trying to pull the car from the mud were hit by shots fired from a wooded area, sheriff’s department spokeswoman Deputy Veronica Hill told The State Sunday.
Both drivers were shot in the lower body, but the injuries are not considered life threatening, Hill said. Further information on the victims’ conditions was not available.
The shooting happened near the intersection of Youngs Chapel Church Road and Jacob Road, according to Hill. That’s close to the Greystone Boulevard exit on Interstate 126 in Columbia.
The shooting happened as the tow truck driver was hooking up the car to pull it from the mud, Hill said.
One of the victims walked about half a mile to the 300 block of Greystone Boulevard, where sheriff’s deputies initially responded to the shooting. The other victime drove to the hospital, according to Hill.
Neither victim said they saw who pulled the trigger, and the shooter did not approach the victims, Hill said.
Investigators are trying to determine a motive for the shooting, according to Hill. As part of the investigation, they are looking at security footage from the area to help identify the shooter or shooters. No arrests have been reported.
No other injuries were reported in the shooting, and no other similar incidents were reported in the Greystone Boulevard area overnight, Hill said.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
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This story was originally published April 9, 2023 at 12:09 PM.
