Police investigating shooting in northeast Columbia
Columbia police are investigating shots fired near Rice Road and Boyd Lane in northeast Columbia. The report came shortly before noon Thursday.
Officers on the scene report they found several shell casings on the ground.
Bryana Larimer, Columbia Police Public Information Officer, said officers found multiple shell casings at two locations. She said evidence of a shooting was recovered at the intersection of Boyd Lane and Lamp Lane and also at Boyd Lane and Rice Road.
No one was injured and there were no reports of property damage.
Neighbors told ABC 17 News the intersection of Rice Road and Boyd Lane is where their children catch the bus for school.
One neighbor, who didn’t want to identify himself, said the shooting hits close to home.
“It’s quite touching that there was 14 shots fired at the exact same bus stop in which my daughter gets dropped off and picked up everyday,” he said. “This is not something that should take place in neighborhoods and communities like this.”
Wendy Dey, who has lived on Rice Road for the past two years, said she heard the gunshots and called the police. After the shooting, she said she’s going to have stricter rules for her children.
“My kids aren’t going to be out front any more,” she said. “They’re going to be out back with me or out front with me. No more walking down the street, no more going to the bus by themselves or coming home by themselves.”
Police are also looking for multiple suspect vehicles.
Neighbors told ABC 17 News they saw a grey car and a maroon car that may have been involved in the shooting. Neighbors said they heard more than a dozen total shots fired.
Larmier said they are looking for two male suspects. One is described as a light skinned black male with dreadlocks, weighing approximately 160 pounds. The other suspect is described as a black male with short hair and wearing all black clothing.
Larimer said it is unclear at this time whether the suspects were shooting from inside the vehicles or outside. Neighbors told ABC 17 News it appeared to be a drive-by shooting.
The Columbia Police K9 Unit was on scene to attempt a track, but Larimer said it was not successful.
ABC 17 has confirmed two people were taken into custody for interfering with the crime scene. They were later released from custody once the scene was cleared.
ABC 17 News has reporters there and will bring you more details starting on ABC 17 News at 5 p.m., and also on Twitter, Facebook and abc17news.com.
