Early morning gunfire damages home in north Columbia

The Columbia Police Department is investigating an early morning shots fired incident that happened in the 1400 block of Greensboro Drive.

Officers were called to the scene just before 3 a.m. Monday.

Several neighbors tell ABC 17 News they heard multiple shots fired.

“We just heard five or six gunshots in the middle of the night,” one man said. “It woke me up, but I didn’t hear anything else after that. It’s been a real big problem around this area.”

This is the seventh reported shooting in the Greensboro Drive area this year.

Police found multiple shell casings in the area and also bullet holes in the front of a house. Five people, including a juvenile, were home at the time of the shooting.

Police said no one was injured and the investigation is ongoing. Right now, there is no suspect description.

“In this situation witnesses were cooperative; however, everyone at that time was essentially sleeping, so it was hearing the gunfire and not necessarily seeing what happened,” said Bryana Larimer, a spokeswoman for the Columbia Police Department.

CPD recently added four more officers to it’s Community Outreach Unit to build relationships with community members in neighborhoods that may be experiencing more crime. Sgt. Mike Hestir said officers have already visited the north Columbia neighborhood, but will visit on a more consistent basis once the new officers are trained.

Sgt. Hestir said he expects training to be complete by the end of February.

One resident who heard the gunshots said he thinks more police presence would help. But he said his family is ready to move out.

“We’re working on trying to find somewhere else to live, because we have a baby on the way, so it’s not really safe for us to be around here with all that.” he said.

Anyone with information is asked to call CPD or CrimeStoppers at 573-875-TIPS to remain anonymous.