Man shot at Walmart Supercenter and another person is hurt, Richland County sheriff says
A man was shot and another person was hurt Sunday night during an altercation at a Walmart in Columbia, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
At about 9 p.m., deputies responded to reports of a possible shooting at the Walmart Supercenter on Killian Road, the sheriff’s department told The State on Monday.
Deputies saw a vehicle in the parking lot that had multiple bullet holes on the driver’s side, as well as a Glock pistol outside the vehicle, the sheriff’s department said Monday in a news release. Deputies also discovered a bag of green plantlike material on the passenger-side floorboard and another on the ground by the vehicle’s door, according to the release.
Deputies found a male victim, who was shot and suffered non-life-threatening injuries to his forearm, according to the sheriff’s department.
He was identified as 24-year old Matthew Hermz, and the sheriff’s department said he was involved in the altercation.
Hermz was taken to a local hospital where his injuries were treated, and when he was medically cleared he was booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, according to the release. Hermz was charged with first-degree manufacturing/possession other substance schedule I II III with intent to distribute (controlled substance), the sheriff’s department said.
Bond was set at $2,500 for Hermz, a Michigan resident who’s scheduled to appear in court again on Sept. 27, according to Richland County judicial records. Hermz is still listed on the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center inmate roster and remains behind bars, jail records show.
Shortly after the shooting, deputies learned that a second victim connected to the gunfire at Walmart arrived at a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff’s department said. It was not clear if this person was shot, and information about their condition was not available.
No other injuries were reported.
There was no word about how many people were involved in the shooting, and if more than one person fired a gun. Information about how the altercation started, and a motive for the gunfire, was not available.
It was not clear if the shooting was limited to the Walmart parking lot, or if shots were also fired elsewhere on the property, or inside the mega store.
The shooting continues to be investigated by the sheriff’s department.
Anyone with information about the shooting at the Walmart is asked to call the sheriff’s department at 803-576-3000, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
Past history
This is not the first time a violent incident has been reported at the Walmart at 321 Killian Road.
In October 2023, a road rage incident turned into a fight that spilled inside the Walmart Supercenter, according to the sheriff’s department. The incident began in the Walmart parking lot, where two men had gotten into an argument that continued inside the store where it became physical.
An off-duty Forest Acres police officer broke up the fight, but one of the men involved in the fight pointed a gun at the officer as well as the other combatant, the sheriff’s department said. The officer then struggled with the armed man before taking the gun away from him, according to the sheriff’s department.
No shots were fired during the incident, the sheriff’s department said.
There was another incident at the Walmart in April 2017.
On that occasion, a man at the mega store attempted to steal a shopping cart full of items valued at about $1,200, according to the sheriff’s department. When confronted by an employee the man presented a knife and a hatchet before escaping the Walmart with the stolen goods, the sheriff’s department said.
