Shots rang out in Columbia's Five Points entertainment district shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday morning following the city's annual St. Patrick's Day festival.
Three men were shot, making the Greene and Harden Streets incident the second shooting in one of Columbia's popular entertainment districts in six months. Nine people were shot in the Vista in September.
All three of the victims were males in their early 20s, none of them from Columbia. Two victims, one a 20-year-old from Winnsboro and the other 22-year-old stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter and one a 22, were not identified by name. The third victim was identified as 23-year-old Howard Boone Jr. from Raleigh, North Carolina who attends St. Augustine University.
The three victims were hospitalized as of Sunday, WIS TV reports.
Columbia police have placed a suspect in the shooting, Arthur Jones Jr., in custody. The 22-year-old has been charged with three counts of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
According to police, Jones was arguing with another person and then fired shots into the crowd of people in the area.
A photo of Jones had been released previously by CPD as a person of interest. After seeing the surveillance photos of themselves in news reports, Jones and three other men involved in the altercation turned themselves in to police. The other three men will not be charged.
The shooting occurred just as bars in the area were closing and after thousands of people had spent the day in the streets celebrating St. Patrick's Day.
Police urge people who may have more information about the incident to call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.
— Compiled by T. Michael Boddie, news editor