Police in South Carolina arrested late Saturday a suspect in a shooting at a mall in Columbia that left 14 people wounded.
Police said Jewayne M. Price, 22, was one of three individuals initially detained by police as a person of interest and was expected to be indicted for unlawfully carrying a pistol. He was expected to face more charges in the shooting of nine people Saturday at Columbiana Centre mall, triggering a stampede of frightened shoppers in which several people were injured.
In a Saturday evening press conference, Columbia Police Chief W.H. “Skip” Holbrook told reporters the shooting did not seem random.
“We believe they knew each other and something led to the gunfire,” Chief Holbrook said.
Officers responded to a report of shots fired at the mall just after 2 p.m. Saturday and began evacuating people to safety. Law enforcement ordered mall employees to shelter in place as teams cleared the premises.
“Today’s isolated, senseless act of violence is extremely upsetting and our thoughts are with everyone impacted. We are grateful for the quick response and continued support of our security team and our partners in law enforcement,” Columbiana Centre said in a statement.
According to police, no fatalities have been reported, but nine people were shot and five suffered injuries attempting to escape the mall for safety. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 73.
Police said the 73-year-old victim was receiving medical treatment, but the other victims were released from hospitals or were to be released shortly.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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