Raleigh and Citadel Drive residents shocked by Tuesday night gunfire
Gunfire erupted on a quiet street at about 8 p.m. Tuesday in Columbia.
Witnesses said two groups were shooting at each other and the sparks from the bullets were flying.
“It started over by the gas meters and then somebody was over there and they started shooting back,” said Kyle Bean, a resident. “[The sparks] were just jumping all over the road.
Police confirm at least three homes were hit by the gunfire: two on Raleigh Drive and one on Citadel Drive, just north of Raleigh. Bean lives on Raleigh Drive, next door to the houses hit.
Police confirmed what Bean saw and said they have evidence that leads them to believe the gunfire could have been between two parties.
Bean said about 10 children, ranging from 8 to 18 years old, were playing outside on the street. That’s when the fight started.
“There were sparks in front of me when I was first there and it was all the way around,” he said. “I just took off towards the car and everybody scattered and went to the houses.”
D’Mitri Ward and his family live on Citadel Drive. Ward’s home was also hit by a stray bullet, putting his 9-year-old son in danger.
“It went into a 9-year-old’s bedroom and that’s pretty scary because he spendS the majority of his time in his room,” said Ward. “I’m just glad by the grace of God he wasn’t in his room.”
Ward and his girlfriend have lived on Citadel Drive for four years. They’re raising four children, two of them under 3 years old.
“I don’t even think they were aiming, they’re just shooting you know,” said Ward. “They’re careless on who the bullet hits, they don’t care if it hits kids, elderly people. They’re just shooting.”
Ward said the neighborhood is usually pretty quiet and so the family thought at first the gunshots were actually fireworks. Pretty soon, they realized a bullet had come through the house.
“It was just an eye opener,” said Ward.
The family was already planning on moving, but Ward said this incident might speed up that process.
Bean said he’s nervous for the children in the neighborhood and hopes that kind of violent crime doesn’t happen in the friendly neighborhood again.
