Two men fought in a body shop and one is dead while the other’s in jail, SC cops say

One man was killed and another is in jail following an argument that led to a shooting, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

Michael Harper, 64, was charged with murder, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.

At about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, deputies responded to a auto-body shop in the 1700 block of Percival Road where a man’s body had been discovered, according to the release. That’s in Columbia, not far from Exit 12 on Interstate 77, which is the junction with Forest Drive.

Deputies met with the caller, an acquaintance of the victim who had not heard from him, and determined that the man appeared to be dead, the sheriff’s department said.

The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the victim.

Investigators accessed the business’ security camera footage, which recorded the incident that happened at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the release.

Footage showed Harper and the victim got into a verbal altercation, before Harper pulled a gun and shot the victim in the upper body, the sheriff’s department said. Information about why the men were arguing was not available, and there was no word if they knew each other prior to the shooting.

Harper left the business in a vehicle, according to the release.

At about 2 p.m. Wednesday, deputies saw Harper’s vehicle in the area by O’Neil Court, about 3 miles from the crime scene, and when backup arrived, the law enforcement officers made a traffic stop, the sheriff’s department said.

Harper was taken into custody without incident, according to the release. He was booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, where he was also charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime, jail records show.

No bond has been set and Harper remains locked up, according to jail records.