Man killed in shooting near popular mall during violent stretch in Columbia, police say

A 24-year-old South Carolina man was killed Sunday night in a shooting at a home near a major shopping mall in Columbia, according to officials.

Columbia resident Nigel McFarland was identified as the shooting victim, Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said Monday.

The shooting happened at about 7 p.m. Sunday at the Harbison Gardens development at 401 Columbiana Drive, according to the Columbia Police Department. That’s about a mile from Columbiana Centre, a popular shopping mall in the busy Harbison Boulevard district.

McFarland died at the scene, police said.

No other injuries were reported.

There was no word about a shooter, or shooters, or anyone else involved in the gunfire. Information about a motive for the shooting was not available.

No arrests have been reported by police, who said they are continuing to investigate the shooting, which they called an isolated incident.

There were at least three other unrelated shootings in Columbia in about a 21-hour span surrounding the incident at Harbison Gardens.

▪ At about 10 p.m. Saturday, hours after an annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration that thousands attended, officers responded to the 1000 block of Harden Street, in the Five Points area, and found a man who had been shot in the lower body, according to the Columbia Police Department.

Further information about that victim’s condition was not available, but no other injuries were reported in that shooting.

No arrests were reported in the shooting, which continues to be investigated by police.

▪ On Sunday at about 5 a.m., deputies responded to a report of a fight involving a weapon at Vegas Nights club/restaurant at 3722 River Drive, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said.

The fight was over when the deputies arrived at Vegas Nights, but they learned that three victims left for an area hospital, and one of them was a woman who died, according to the sheriff’s department.

Two men also were hurt, with one getting shot in the upper body and the other in the lower body, the sheriff’s department said. Both men were being treated at a local hospital, but further information on their conditions was not available.

Hours after the shooting, deputies said a person of interest was detained and transported to the sheriff’s department headquarters. No arrests have been reported.

▪ Later Sunday at about 1 p.m., Columbia police began investigating after a woman was injured in a shooting at the Colony Apartments, in the 6400 block of Bailey Street.

Police said that victim was in stable condition, and no other injuries were reported.

No arrests were reported in the shooting, which continues to be investigated by police.

Anyone with information about any of the shootings is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.