Richland coroner identifies person killed during Thursday storm
Richland County Coroner Gary Watts released the name of a person killed during a thunderstorm.
George William Lebby was killed by a tree, Watts said. He lived on the 3000 block of Columbia Avenue in the Earlewood community in Columbia. The 61-year-old man was sitting in his backyard when the storm caused a tree to fall on him around 4:20 p.m. He died in his yard, according to Watts.
Gusts of wind that reached more than 50 miles per hour and heavy rains blasted Columbia beginning around 4 p.m. Thursday. The storm uprooted trees and caused power outages around the city.
No other storm-related deaths have been reported in Richland County, Watts told The State Thursday.
David Travis Bland
The State