Suspect in gas station shooting was on parole

Columbia police have made an arrest in connection to an early morning shooting at the Phillips 66 on Rangeline Drive.

The shooting happened just after 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning. Police arrested Turbo Midgyett for the shooting a few hours later.

Police said there were at least 100 people people at the gas station when the shooting happened. No one was injured, but two vehicles, one owned by one of the station’s clerks, were hit.

The clerk told ABC 17 News the suspect had just been inside the store paying for his purchase when he went outside and started shooting. She said she didn’t hear any arguments or verbal confrontation to spark the shooting. She also said when she heard the gun shots, she and others inside the store dropped to the ground.

The clerk said the alleged shooter is a part of the Sidelines Bar crowd that comes by, but despite carrying on “colorful” and “boisterous” conversations, the crowd is not known for causing trouble. Store employees have had at times to call a police non-emergency number to get the crowd to move out of the gas station.

Officers identified Midgyett, 30, as the suspect using surveillance video from the station’s cameras. That video reportedly shows Midgyett firing four times before leaving. They found and arrested him at a home on Lamp Lane, and reported finding the gun from the shooting in a car parked in front of the home.

Residents in Lamp Lane are happy to see him behind bars. One neighbor, Braden Tyrer says, “He is kind of a dark mark on our neighborhood. A lot of people have had issues with him making noise, coming at all hours of the night, and I think everyone is going to be excited that they don’t have to deal with him.”

Midgyett was arrested for armed criminal action, property damage in the second degree, and unlawful use of a weapon, the bond has been set for more than 100 thousand dollars.

He was released from prison in 2014 after serving a sentence for robbery, for which crime he is currently on parole.