Teen is latest charged with murder after shooting at Airbnb, Columbia police say
Months after four teenagers were shot, and one of them was killed, inside a South Carolina home, another person has been arrested, according to the Columbia Police Department.
A 17-year-old male, who was not publicly identified because of his age, became the third person charged following the June 6 shooting, police said Monday in a news release. He was charged with murder and other crimes.
He was arrested over the weekend in Atlanta, Georgia, and extradited to Columbia, according to the release. The teen is being held at a South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice facility, police said.
In addition to murder, the 17-year-old also was charged with three counts of assault & battery (of a high and aggravated nature), as well as single counts of criminal conspiracy, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and possession of a firearm by person under the age of 18, according to the release.
The charges are connected to the June shooting at a home that was an Airbnb short-term rental property in Columbia’s downtown Elmwood Park neighborhood, police said.
Night of the shooting
At about 5 a.m. on June 6, officers were patrolling in the Elmwood Park neighborhood when they received a call about a possible auto break-in in progress in the 2400 block of Lincoln Street, according to the release.
While the officers were heading there, the emergency was upgraded to a “shots fired,” and “person hit” call, according to the release.
When they arrived at 2408 Lincoln Street, officers heard screams from inside the two-story home and forced their way in through the front door, police said.
Officers were greeted by what police called a “chaotic crime scene with multiple victims.” Officers found four young people who had been shot multiple times, according to the release.
Officers provided aid by using a tourniquet until EMS arrived, and detained several people who were not injured but were present outside and inside the home during the shooting, police said.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office said that 18-year-old Jayden Brackins died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the release.
There were three surviving shooting victims, a 17-year-old male and two 18-year-old women, police said. Further information on the surviving victims’ conditions was not available.
Two previous arrests connected to the shooting were made in June, according to the release.
Other arrests
A 15-year-old was arrested June 6, and charged with kidnapping, armed robbery with a deadly weapon, criminal conspiracy, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and possession of a firearm by person under the age of 18, police said.
On June 7, 18-year-old Latrell D.D. Hughey was arrested and charged with murder, armed robbery, three counts of assault & battery (of a high and aggravated nature), and single counts of criminal conspiracy as well as possession of a firearm by person under the age of 18, according to the release.
No bond was set for Hughey, who is locked up at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, jail records show. Information about where the 15-year-old was taken, and if they are still incarcerated, was not available.
There was no word about a motive for the shooting, which police are continuing to investigate. It’s believed that the victims and suspects knew each other, Police Chief Skip Holbrook said in June.
Reaction
The shooting has sparked an outcry for stricter regulating of short-term rental properties in Columbia.
An Airbnb listing for the Lincoln Street property appeared on Google during a search in June. Another June listing for the home was available for rent on VRBO, a competitor that similarly offers short-term rentals of homes through an online platform, as well as through the website of real estate management company The Traylor Team. The listing’s rules state that no unapproved additional overnight guests are allowed on the property.
John Wilkinson, president of the Elmwood Park neighborhood association, said the shooting would’ve never occurred if the city council blocked short-term rentals from being established in the neighborhood.
”These short term rental companies come in and build homes in our neighborhood and it’s killing our community, literally,” Wilkinson said. “They threw a house party and shots were fired a few feet away from where a child lives.”
“We need to get these short-term rental properties out of here today.”
– John Wilkinson, Elmwood Park neighborhood association president
In 2023, after nearly two years of debate, the city of Columbia passed its first rules requiring permitting of short-term rentals.
In August, Columbia City Council gave initial approval to enhanced restrictions for short-term rentals. But Nov. 13, the Columbia Planning Commission rejected new restrictions on Airbnbs and similar properties that are rented for less than 30 days at a time.
Similar incidents
This was not the first or most recent shooting in Columbia that involved a short-term rental property.
In 2023, 11 people were injured during a mass shooting at a gathering at Meadowlake Park. Law enforcement at the time said that the party started at an Airbnb before moving to the park in Northeast Columbia, The State previously reported.
On Nov. 15, police said they responded to a report of a shooting at a home operating as an Airbnb in the 1100 block Darlington Street. That’s in the Earlwood area, near the intersection of U.S. 176/River Drive and North Main Street.
Overnight, a man showed up at a hospital with a gunshot wound, police said. Officers are working to determine if the injury is connected to the shooting at the Airbnb as well as learn about the amount of people that were inside the home when the shots were fired, and their ages, according to police.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREThis is a breaking news story
In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.
