A 14-year-old was charged with two counts of murder and other crimes days after two people were killed in a shooting in Columbia, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Police have not publicly identified the 14-year-old because of his age.
A man and another teen were killed in the April 11 shooting in the 100 block of Angel Garden Way, the sheriff said in a news release Tuesday. That’s near Decker Boulevard.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office said 35-year-old Marvin D. Archie and 16-year-old Jayden Scales-Amiker were the victims.
The shooting was the result of a confrontation that occurred following a robbery the night before, the news release said.
On April 10 around 7 p.m., four juveniles robbed another minor of his personal items near the Food Lion supermarket in the 2300 block of Decker Boulevard, the sheriff’s department said. That’s about half a mile from where the fatal shooting occurred.
According to the release, the father of the robbery victim, later identified as Archie, and several others were involved in an altercation on April 11. The sheriff’s department said it believes the 14-year-old was armed with a handgun that had been illegally modified with a switch so it was fully automatic.
The 14-year-old killed Archie and Scales-Amiker, one of the teen’s friends, according to the sheriff’s department. Because of the modification to the weapon, officers said they believe the 14-year-old lost control and accidentally shot Scales-Amiker.
The 14-year-old was also shot in the lower body and transported from the scene to a local hospital, according to the release.
His wound could also have been the result of an accident, as the sheriff’s department told the state they believe only the 14-year-old was armed with a gun. That includes Archie, who was not believed to be armed with a weapon, the sheriff’s department said.
The 14-year-old was treated at an area hospital and when he was medically cleared Monday, he was arrested and booked into the juvenile unit of the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, the sheriff’s department said.
The 14-year-old was charged with two counts of murder, in addition to possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and possession of a handgun under 18, according to the release.
He, along with two other 16-year-olds, were also charged with multiple crimes stemming from the April 10 robbery, the sheriff’s department said. The teens involved in that incident were charged with armed robbery, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, possession of a handgun under 18 and kidnapping, according to the release.
Scales-Amiker was the fourth teen suspected of involvement in the April 10 robbery, police said.
Despite the arrests, the sheriff said he is continuing to investigate the shooting.
Anyone who may have been at the shooting or has knowledge of the gunfire is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit a tip online.
