Two teenagers arrested after man shot in Richland County, SC sheriff says
A week after a man was shot in South Carolina two teenagers have been charged in connection to the crime, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Fellow 18-year-olds Allen Garner Jr. and Mario Hooks were each charged with attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, the sheriff’s department said Wednesday in a news release.
Hooks also was charged with kidnapping and armed robbery, according to the release.
The charges are connected to a March 21 shooting in the Hopkins area of Richland County, the sheriff’s department said.
At about 12:30 a.m. March 21, deputies responded to a ShotSpotter alert about a shooting in the 200 block of Gusty Lane, near Lower Richland Boulevard, according to the release. ShotSpotter is a technology that uses acoustic monitors to detect a sound like gunfire. The system sends the gunfire’s location to law enforcement within 45 seconds.
Responding deputies met several witnesses, many of which were juveniles, the sheriff’s department said.
While they were still there the deputies learned a man had been shot and was on the way to an area hospital, according to the release. The victim had been shot in upper body, the sheriff’s department said.
Further information on his condition was not available, but the sheriff’s department said the victim has since been released from the hospital.
No other injuries were reported.
Investigators learned that the shooting was the result of ongoing disputes that Garner and Hooks had with the victim, according to the release. Details about the disputes was not available.
On Tuesday, the sheriff’s department’s Fugitive Task Force and Special Response Team located both Garner and Hooks at their respective homes in Richland County, according to the release. Both teens were taken into custody without incident and booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, the sheriff’s department said.
No bond has been set for both Garner and Hooks, who remain locked up, jail records show.
At the time of the shooting, Garner was out on bond from multiple arrests at the end of 2025. The teen was arrested Nov. 27 on reckless driving, drug possession and failure to stop for blue lights charges, and posted an $11,055 bond on the combined counts, according to Richland County court records.
On Dec. 11, Garner was arrested on a weapons charge, and posted a $2,500 bond, court records show. The charges from both 2025 arrests are pending.
Hooks was also arrested Dec. 11 on a weapons charge, according to court records. He was released after posting $10,000 bond, court records show. That also is pending.
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This story was originally published April 1, 2026 at 10:55 AM.
