Crime has riddled these Columbia apartments. Here’s what’s being done to fix it
Estoria Wright says living in Columbia’s Colony Apartments is like being in prison.
Besides frequent crime at the low-income apartment complex, many residents can’t afford to leave the Colony for even short excursions, said Wright, whose daughter and grandson live in the northeast Columbia apartments.
“For me, living in the Colony is like living in a jailhouse. You just got a little more room to wander,” said Wright, 41, who doesn’t reside at the complex but frequently visits her daughter and grandson.
Over the last three years, residents reported eight shootings that killed three people and injured five others, according to Columbia police.
In 2022, the complex also was accused by the city of Columbia of struggling to provide basic services to some residents, including running water and heat. Problems with carbon monoxide and other issues also have been reported.
“I was telling (my daughter), I wish I knew somebody I could talk to to get you out of the Colony, because that’s nowhere for anyone to stay, especially with all those little kids out there,” Wright said. “It’s awful,” adding that people living there need jobs and life training.
One resident, who didn’t wish to be named, said living in the Colony “is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get,” adding the community can be calm one minute and chaotic the next.
Columbia police said they and the apartment complex have taken steps recently to improve safety, but more can be done.
A series of shootings at the Colony
The 300-unit complex, located at 3545 West Betline Blvd., features two bedroom homes for residents who qualify for subsidized housing from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
While eight shootings were reported by residents between Jan 1, 2022, and May 30, 2025, police said there actually have been more. Police Chief Skip Holbrook said he couldn’t believe it when the company that installed a gunfire detection system for the city told him that up to 80% of gunfire is unreported at the Colony.
The ShotSpotter technology uses acoustic monitors to detect sounds like gunfire. The system sends the gunfire’s location to Columbia police within 45 seconds.
“I was like, there’s no way,” Holbrook said. “When we turned that (ShotSpotter) technology on, we immediately began getting gunfire alerts and we would not get a corresponding call for service from a citizen.”
The Colony Apartments are in one of the city’s biggest crime areas. The police department reports that 40% of Columbia’s shootings are concentrated in a geographic area that makes up just 3% of the city’s footprint, including the Colony.
The majority of shootings happen outdoors and stem from arguments, according to Holbrook.
“A lot of times it’s silly beefs that occur,” Holbrook said. “You may have a young woman that’s got a child by somebody that comes and finds that she’s dating somebody else.”
Disagreements between current and former couples contribute to the violence, another resident said.
Jolissa Ranae, the mother of a 1-year-old and 3-year-old, said community shootings mostly come from young people battling over lovers.
“It’s the YN’s and YG’s, who sleep around with everybody,” Ranae said, using terms that refer to young Black men and women.
“I rarely allow my children to roam the playground, because I know (the danger) that exists here. Most of the time, I just take them outside to my backyard.”
The latest shooting at the complex occurred in January, when two people were shot on the same day, leaving one dead, according to police.
When officers arrived, they found Blake McGrath, 23, with a gunshot wound to his upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers were later notified that a second person, William Jiles, 29, had been transported to the hospital for a gunshot wound. Jiles survived his injuries and was ultimately charged with McGrath’s murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Jiles is still awaiting a first court appearance, according to Richland County court records.
In May 2024, police responded to a shooting that killed Madquicias Taylor, 23, who was allegedly shot by Markus Brown, then 20. Brown, charged with murder, is also currently awaiting a first court appearance.
On March 17, 2024, a woman was injured in a shooting at the apartment complex, but survived, police said.
Factors contributing to violence in the community include unsecured abandoned buildings and overgrown grass areas, Holbrook said. He said most of the troublemakers do not live at the Colony, and they use the overgrown areas as a way to maintain cover when entering and exiting the property.
“I think if you could limit access to the Colony and it be for residents and registered visitors, it would be game changing,” Holbrook said. “But unfortunately, the design of the complex is not conducive to that.”
That’s because a public road — Bailey Street — runs directly through the complex.
Whitney Davis, property manager at the Colony, and Justin Unger, vice president of development at the Monroe Group, a Denver-based property management company that owns the Colony, declined to be interviewed by The State.
But the Monroe Group touts on its website that the complex is “fenced (and) secured,” with “24-hour surveillance.”
While the complex does have continuous surveillance and fencing around some of its perimeter, it does not have a secured entry gate because of Bailey Street.
Police response to shootings at the Colony
The Columbia Police Department is alerted to most shootings at the Colony Apartments by ShotSpotter.
Holbrook said the department heavily relies on ShotSpotter because many witnesses are unwilling to cooperate with a shooting investigation. The department responds to every alert it receives from the community, whether it’s from ShotSpotter or a resident.
“Every single time there’s gunfire” at the Colony, residents see the police respond, Holbrook said. “They see the police canvassing the area, they see door hangers go up (saying shots were fired), and they see a gun detection dog deployed to look for shell casings. They see we care.”
Unlivable conditions at the Colony
Besides violence, some residents have had to struggle with what the city described as difficult living conditions at the Colony, including a lack of running water and heat during winter months.
Multiple alleged code violations at the Colony deemed the entire complex unlivable in December 2022, causing the displacement of hundreds of residents two days after Christmas.
In response, the City of Columbia sued the Monroe Group, asking a judge to force the company to pay $52,129.10 to cover the costs of evacuating residents and the costs for repairs in the community that were meant to be the responsibility of the property owners.
Ebony Nelson, then-district manager for Monroe Group, was charged with 83 criminal citations after the city said it found code violations that included units without running water or working heat. Eventually, problems were discovered in 144 of 300 units, including at least 10 with gas leaks.
In addition, the city found 83 fire code violations.
A settlement between the city and the group was reached in February 2024, where the group agreed to pay the city $79,866.99 in addition to beefing up routine maintenance inspections and security protocols at the complex. In exchange, the city agreed to drop all code enforcement and fire code violations against the property.
In the settlement, the city acknowledged that all code violations against the property were resolved.
Later, in June 2024, the city dropped criminal citations against Nelson, who was facing a $41,000 fine or six years in jail. It’s unclear, however, whether that decision stemmed from the February settlement. Nelson’s attorney, Chris Kenney, argued his client was not responsible for the conditions at the apartment and that the city owed her an apology for targeting her for the violations.
Still, in January 2025, a family sued the complex and the Monroe Group, saying family members were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning. The case is set for mediation in August.
Holbrook said “a good thing” that came out of the complex shutdown was an improved surveillance system, which police can now access.
“The current management company (at the Colony) has invested in camera upgrades they allow us to access, and they also employ security, which is helpful,” Holbrook said. “But I think there’s always improvements that can be made in terms of management of tenants.”
Wright said her daughter’s apartment has been broken into four times in two years, and she is unhappy with management’s response to those reports.
Solutions to curb crime at the Colony
Holbrook said his department is working with the Colony’s management and the community to make the environment safer.
“We know we’re not going to arrest our way out of (crime) in the Colony,” Holbrook said. “We’ve got to create some connections over there that pay it forward for us.”
One such connection, Holbrook said, is being made through efforts such as the the North Columbia Youth Initiative and the Pal Program.
Both programs aim to provide more opportunities for youth in disenfranchised communities through a partnership with local leaders and law enforcement.
In addition, the city’s parks and recreation department is planning to develop a park next to the Colony, which Holbrook said “will be transformational” as it’ll help to clear overgrown areas and provide youth with more recreation.
Beyond that, Holbrook said the city recently completed an initiative next to the complex that “spruced up” the area by repairing fencing, demolishing abandoned buildings and cutting back overgrown vegetation areas.
Lastly, Holbrook said the police department is working to connect with the community by hosting monthly, sometimes bi-monthly, cookouts or pop-up block parties.
While Holbrook said he couldn’t offer a definite solution to crime at the Colony, he said he sees progress.
“We’re not celebrating,” Holbrook said. “Yes, we’ve got less people hit (in the Colony) by gunfire this year, but we saw a considerable spike last year from the previous year. So it’s ebbs and flows..
“The bottom line is we are seeing some positive trends, but we know they’re a snapshot in time, and we know that we’re playing the long game here.”
