Teens charged with attempted murder after mass shooting at Columbia park, cops say

Two teenagers are charged with attempted murder and more crimes after a mass shooting at a Columbia park, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday.

The pair of 16-year-olds, whose names are not being made public because of their ages, were also each charged with possession of a stolen weapon, possession of a handgun under 18, possession of weapon during a violent crime, and possession of a weapon with obliterated serial number, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.

On April 29 at about 1:20 a.m., 11 people, most of them teenagers, were hurt in a shooting and stampede at Meadowlake Park, the sheriff’s department said.

Of the victims, nine were shot, according to the sheriff’s department. One unidentified female at the scene suffered lower body injuries after she was run over by a car, and another victim’s hand was badly cut, the sheriff’s department said.

The teens who were arrested May 3 were originally taken into custody on charges unrelated to the Meadowlake Park shooting, according to the sheriff’s department. But ballistics connected guns taken from the two teens to the mass shooting, the sheriff’s department said.

Officers recovered an assault rifle and multiple pistols during the arrests, including one stolen gun, Sheriff Leon Lott said.

The two were charged as juveniles due to their age, according to the sheriff’s department. It will be up to the 5th Circuit Solicitors office to hold a hearing to determine if their charges will be upgraded.

The two teens are being held in the juvenile wing of the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

Two other teenagers, 19-year-old Miquise Fulwiley and 18-year-old Ty’quan Kelly, were also arrested on charges after the mass shooting. At this point, Fulwiley and Kelly both have been charged with simple possession of marijuana and unlawful carrying of a pistol. Fulwiley also was charged with failure to stop for blue lights.

Kelly was originally released after posting his $10,000 bond, but that was revoked and he was returned to the Richland County jail.

Prior to the mass shooting at the park, Kelly had been arrested twice since March 1 on weapons charges, Lott said. Kelly was released after bond was set at $2,500 and then $50,000 after those arrests, including the most recent on April 16, according to Lott.

The Meadowlake Park shooting continues to be investigated by the sheriff’s department.

Staff reporter Ted Clifford contributed to this story.