Richland County man arrested on two counts of attempted murder in apartment stabbing
The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department has announced an arrest following a double stabbing at a Bush River Road apartment complex in January.
Zedekiah Germaine Coleman, 35, was charged Friday with two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He was arrested Thursday, according to deputies.
“Through interviews with witnesses and victims, detectives have determined this case started with an argument at a Bush River Road apartment complex on January 14,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said. “Coleman was later identified by victims and we obtained warrants for his arrest.”
On Jan. 14, deputies responded to a 911 call saying that someone had been stabbed in the neck. When they arrived, deputies found a trail of blood leading up to a third floor apartment.
There, in the living room, deputies found a male holding a bloody rag to a stab wound in another man’s neck. According to the incident report, deputies were told that a man came over and started an argument with an unnamed individual before stabbing one person in the neck and another in the back. He then fled the scene. Neither the incident report nor the warrant names the victims.
The two victims were transported to Prisma Health Richland Hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries, according to arrest warrants.
In addition to descriptions of the attacker given by witnesses, Columbia Police Department officers who also responded to the scene said some people gave the description of a man named “C” who “constantly” hung around the complex and had started several fires in the area, according to the incident report.
Coleman was identified using a photo lineup, according to warrants.
On Friday, he received a $10,000 surety bond on the charge of possessing a weapon during a violent crime, but his bond was denied on the two counts of attempted murder.
This story was originally published March 2, 2024 at 6:00 AM.