Man shot in central Columbia dies

A man police found shot on West Worley Street on Wednesday is dead.

The Columbia Police Department said Thursday that Chase Hayes, 30, died from a gunshot wound. Police were sent to the 100 block of West Worley Street on Wednesday on a call of shots heard and found Hayes wounded.

Emergency medical aid was given at the scene and at the hospital, police said, but Hayes died Wednesday. Police had initially called his wounds life-threatening after the shooting.

The incident report shows two other people were on the scene. Sekou Gaidi lives next door to the site of the shooting. He said he didn’t know Hayes well, but he sat with Hayes until first responders arrived.

“I tried to be there for him,” Gaidi said. “If I couldn’t do anything for him, I was going to ease his passage.”

Hayes was the second person to die from a gunshot wound in Columbia on Wednesday. Tavious Grant, 22, was pronounced dead while undergoing emergency surgery at a hospital after an accidental shooting at an apartment in the 1000 block of Claudell Lane, police said.

Jeff Pitts with Columbia Police said they do have suspect leads, but can’t release specific information at this time. He also said they don’t believe the shootings are connected.

CPD ON WEST WORLEY SHOOTING 12-19

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