Residents off Rice Road concerned about police response times

UPDATE: Residents said Monday afternoon that they hear gunfire in the area almost daily.

“There’s shots fired every day, and if not every day, every other day,” said one resident. “The police don’t do anything about it.”

Columbia police refuted that claim, with spokesperson Steve Sapp writing in an email that they “can’t imagine a time CPD would not respond to a shots heard or shots fired call.”

Residents also said police take awhile to get to scenes just west of Ballenger Lane.

“I’ve called for incidents and it’s taken them 35 to 40 minutes just to even get here,” said another neighbor.

Sapp said the number of units responding to a call can vary due to the resources available at the time.

“We don’t have the resources to provide an officer in the area at all times even though it is a strategic plan neighborhood,” he said.

Police responded to Monday’s shots fired call in about 9 minutes.

A critical reason why some crimes remain unsolved stems from lack of community cooperation, and Sapp encouraged people to call Crimestoppers if they wanted to remain anonymous at 875-TIPS.

“It’s frustrating for us to respond to multiple calls and not find the person or persons responsible,” he said.

“If you see something, say something,” said a Whispering Meadows Court resident. “It’s not about snitching. It’s about our families.”

ORIGINAL STORY: The Columbia Police Department confirmed it is investigating a shots fired incident at Whispering Meadows on Rice Road Monday afternoon.

ABC 17 News has crews on scene, and there are at least five Columbia Police Department vehicles on the scene.

Police have evidence markers up and have blocked off Rice Road next to the development. Police said there is currently no evidence of injury.

The incident is under investigation.

This is a developing story and will be updated as new information is available.