2 more teenagers charged with attempted murder after Columbia mall shooting
Law enforcement has arrested two more teenagers after a shooting last month inside a store at Columbia Place Mall.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott announced Friday that Ja’barree Cornelius, 18, and Kryon Richardson, 19, were arrested and charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. A third man, 19-year-old Gabriel Davis, was charged as an accessory after the fact.
“I said it didn’t matter what rock they climbed under, we would find them, and we did,” Lott said at a press conference at the sheriff’s department headquarters.
Cornelius and Davis were found Wednesday staying together at an Airbnb, the sheriff said, while Richardson was located at a relative’s house on Thursday.
Lott said that Richardson was wearing a court-imposed ankle monitor at the time of the April 2 shooting at the mall and removed it after fleeing the scene. Lott said the incident shows such monitors are not effective in preventing suspects released from jail from committing more crimes.
Cornelius, Richardson, and a 16-year-old were seen on security footage at the mall when they allegedly pulled out guns and began firing at another individual inside the store. The security cameras captured bystanders fleeing and diving for cover, including a woman flipping her baby stroller over on its side and laying flat behind a display to avoid the shooting. Clothing items folded on display stands can be seen flying away as they’re struck by bullets. One man passing by was struck and injured in the melee, Lott said.
Last week, Lott announced the arrest of Erika Edmonds, 37, and her 16-year-old son. The teenager, who has not been identified because he’s a minor, also faces charges of attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. Edmonds was charged with obstruction of justice and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Grant Walls, 18, was arrested in early April and charged with breach of peace of a high and aggravated nature and possession of a stolen pistol.
Richardson has a lengthy criminal record stretching back six years, Lott said. He was charged in a previous shooting where a 70-year-old man was struck in the hand when shots rang out at a gas station.
Cornelius was being held Friday at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and faces a $150,000 bond. Richardson had not had bond set as of Friday morning. Davis had bond set at $75,000.
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