Man found guilty on all charges in Columbiana Centre mall mass shooting
Tears flooded a Lexington County courtroom Thursday afternoon as a clerk read out the fate of Jewayne Price: guilty on all counts in the 2022 mass shooting at Columbiana Centre.
A jury found Price guilty of two counts of attempted murder and nine counts of aggravated assault of a high and aggravated nature. The tense courtroom was overcome with emotion from families of both a victim and Price.
“Nobody walked into that mall with the thought that they were going to be endangering their lives,” 11th Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard told a jury during closing arguments.
On Easter weekend in 2022, 14 people, ages 15 to 73, were injured in the shooting. Three suspects — Marquise Love Robinson, Amari Sincere-Jamal Smith, and Price — were indicted on numerous charges, including attempted murder, aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a handgun.
“Three men walked into that mall absolutely not caring about the law,” Hubbard said. “Dewayne Price, Amari Smith and Marquis Robinson all walked into that mall carrying a weapon when they clearly were not supposed to.”
Signs posted at each mall entrance warned that concealed weapons were prohibited from the mall, Hubbard said, who prosecuted the case along with Deputy Solicitor Suzanne Mayes.
Animosity between Price, Smith and Robinson stemmed from an incident four years earlier in 2018, when Amon Rice, 17, a friend of Robinson and Smith, was gunned downed during a brawl among teenagers at a bus stop.
“Unlike everyone else, (Price, Robinson and Smith) had known enemies,” Hubbard told a jury. “They have people out there that hate them, and they hate those people. When this hate met up in the middle of the mall, it didn’t turn into an exchange of words or a fistfight, it turned into warfare.”
During an immunity hearing in August, lawyers for Price argued he was acting in self-defense when he fired at Robinson and Smith, claiming they were out to harm him.
Price’s lawyers said although Price was illegally carrying a weapon in the mall, he was still entitled to defend himself once he perceived a threat of imminent harm from Robinson and Smith.
“The law in South Carolina does not require anyone to be stupid,” said Todd Rutherford, one of two attorneys representing Price. “The law in South Carolina does not require that Mr. Price die. The law in South Carolina allows Mr. Price to simply defend himself, and that’s what he did.”
Still, a jury found that Price disregarded the safety of countless patrons visiting the mall during a busy Easter weekend by blindly firing into a crowd as he ran away from his assailants.
Despite claims of self defense, prosecutors and one witness said Price pulled his weapon first and began firing.
A victim from Charleston, who was visiting the mall with her two children, mother and ex-boyfriend, said she saw Price initiate the gunfight as he began firing over his shoulder while running in the opposite direction.
“He walked past me as I was walking toward JCPenney to meet my mom,” the victim said. “Once I reconnected with my mom and was headed back toward the fish spa, he pulled his gun out and start shooting across the mall.”
She added that she hasn’t been back to the Columbiana mall — or any other mall — because of the trauma she experienced.
Multiple victims suffered gunshot wounds during the encounter. Others were injured as they attempted to escape the mall, with some breaking bones.
The defense, however, maintained Price’s actions were prompted by Robinson and Smith following him for at least 15 seconds, before Price reacted by wielding his gun.
“They’re asking you to find Mr. Price guilty of attempting to kill the people that were attempting to kill him,” Rutherford said, referencing Robinson and Smith. “Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you that’s an insult.”
Following the jury’s guilty verdict, which spurred sobs from families of Price and one of the victims, Rutherford said he plans to appeal. Joining him in representing Price was Austin Nichols.
“What we saw here was a perversion of justice,” Rutherford said. “We had a witness standing right beside Mr. Price (during the shooting) that told the judge, solicitor and law enforcement that (Price) was being hunted and that had he not reacted he’d be dead.”
Judge Walton McLeod, who presided over the case, has not yet set a date for Price’s sentencing.
Robinson and Price are scheduled to be tried within the next week.
This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 1:55 PM.
