Owner of tattoo parlor declared dead at scene
The man who was killed in a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Five Points Tuesday died playing Russian roulette, according to Richland County Coroner Gary Watts.
Mannon Turner, 42, of West Columbia, walked into Five Points Custom Tattoo, which he owned, around noon Tuesday and asked two people inside if they wanted to play Russian roulette, a game in which players load a gun with one round, spin the chamber, place the gun's muzzle against their head and pull the trigger, according to a release from Watts.
According to an incident report and the release, an employee asked him to stop, but Turner emptied the .357 Magnum handgun he'd recently bought of all the bullets but one, spun the chamber, pointed the gun to his head and fired.
Witnesses called police, who cleared the building as they secured the scene. EMS declared Turner dead on the scene.
Pending toxicology tests and further investigation, Watts said details of the circumstances surrounding the incident were unclear, including whether it was an accident or suicide. Police spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons said the Columbia Police Department doesn't suspect foul play.