Coroner names teens killed in Lower Richland shooting, pledges to fight gun violence
Two teenagers were outside a Lower Richland apartment complex Monday night when at least one gunman fatally shot them, according to Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford.
The shooting has the coroner and a state representative pledging to combat gun violence however they can.
The shooting happened at about 11 p.m. at the Madison Station Apartments at 4020 Ulmer Road, the Columbia Police Department said. That’s near the intersection of Ulmer and Leesburg roads. Nearby are Food Lion and Family Dollar stores.
Rutherford said the victims were Desmond Williams, 15, of Eastover, and Reginald Nixon Jr., 17 of Columbia. Williams was transported to Prisma Health Richland, where he died from at least two gunshot wounds. Nixon died at the scene from at least one gunshot wound. The deaths have been ruled homicides, Rutherford said.
The police are investigating whether the shooting was random or if the teens were targeted, Rutherford said, but the killings were not in self defense. No other injuries were reported by the police.
The coroner’s office is going to work more closely with police and community partners to decrease the gun violence that plagues Columbia and surrounding Richland County.
“We have to be proactive about gun violence in our communities,” Rutherford said.
Standing with her at a Tuesday afternoon news conference, state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, D-Richland, said he went to the apartment complex Monday to pray and ask the community what he can do about shootings.
He plans to dedicate his summer to building partnerships to alleviate gun violence, he said.
“We don’t want this to be a norm in our communities,” Johnson said. “These two young people won’t be able to grown up and have [their] dreams realized.”
Information on a shooter, or shooters, and a motive for the gunfire were not available. As of 4 p.m., no arrests have been reported by police.
There was no word if the shooting is considered an isolated incident or an ongoing threat, but it remains under investigation by the police.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
