Richland sheriff arrests father in Halloween bonfire shooting that injured 3 teens
The father of a teenager who hosted a massive bonfire party on Halloween where three people were shot was arrested Wednesday, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Kyle Johnson, 42, was charged with two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and aggravated breach of peace, Sheriff Leon Lott said during a news conference Wednesday. The arrest stems from an incident that occurred Oct. 31, where three teenagers were shot during a gathering at a bonfire at the 11000 block of Wilson Boulevard in Blythewood.
The event, which attracted between 500 and 800 young people “was totally out of control,” Lott said.
“Unfortunately for three teenagers, when they think of Halloween, they’re going to think about getting shot, about bullets,” Lott said.
Around 10:45 p.m. Oct. 31, deputies responded to the property in reference to a shooting after previously advising Johnson the party needed to be shut down, Lott said.
Two teens were initially found with gunshot wounds to the upper body and were transported to an area hospital. Later, another parent told deputies that her child had also been shot in the lower body after they had taken them to the hospital.
An investigation later revealed that Johnson owned the property where the shooting occurred, Lott said.
Lott said Johnson displayed a cavalier attitude after the shooting, as he was captured on a surveillance camera at a store fist bumping teens who had just left the bonfire.
Johnson’s son, a 15-year-old, hosted the party, which Lott says Johnson helped organize while ignoring that underage drinking was occurring during the event.
“You are not acting as a parent by refusing to hold your children accountable,” Lott said in a news release.
Johnson marks the 7th parent, and first dad, since January 2025 that has been arrested under Lott’s “parent accountability initiative”, which bind parents, who turn a blind eye, to crimes by their children.
The 42-year-old turned himself in at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on Wednesday.
Lott said his department has yet to identify any shooters and that the incident remains under investigation.
