Five suspects identified, 3 arrested in Summit shootings, sheriff says
Three of five identified suspects are in custody following a barrage of shootings in the Summit area of Columbia, according to Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott.
Sireon Beaufort, 18, Journey Lindsey, 19 and an unidentified 16-year-old were charged with three counts of attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and aggravated breach of peace, after Richland County deputies were shot at while investigating two prior shootings, according to Lott.
Lott made the announcement Friday, standing behind 17 weapons, including handguns and assault rifles he said were recovered from the suspects after search warrants were executed.
One of the five suspects — Qwa’Maurie Deaver, 18 — was killed by deputies on the scene of the shooting, while another — Tyjae Miller, 21 — remains on the run, Lott said.
To the parents and family members of Miller who may potentially be assisting him in evading law enforcement, Lott said: “You’re not doing him any favors because we will find him.”
The incident, which Lott called one of the department’s biggest investigations, involved two warring factions — Team A and Team B, Lott called them — and three locations, where shots were fired across a span of roughly two hours. A total of 200 shell casing have so far been recovered, Lott said.
The shootings first began at 12:17 a.m., where Team B conducted a drive-by shooting against Team A in the 200 block of Sagamare Road, Lott said.
At 1:51 a.m., after gathering reinforcements on Legend Oaks Road, Lott said “Team A” engaged in a retaliatory shooting against “Team B” in the 400 block of Spring Oak Lane.
Finally, at 2:23 a.m., Richland County deputies used a K9 tracker to locate Team A on Legend Oaks Road from Spring Oak Lane. After locating the suspects and identifying themselves, deputies were fired upon by Team A, Lott said.
As for Team B, Lott said the department has begun pursuing them yet as Team A were the ones responsible for firing at deputies. “But we’re going to get them, too,” Lott said.
