75 bullets fired into Columbia swimming pool injured teen, sheriff says with new details

A 16-year-old was injured and two people were arrested after at least 75 shots were fired Tuesday night in a northeast Columbia neighborhood, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said Thursday .

About 80 juveniles met in parking lots near a community pool in the Villages at Lakeshore community before several shooters fired “indiscriminately” with weapons that included automatic weapons, Lott said at a news conference providing updates on the shooting that was first reported Wednesday.

“It's something you see or hear on the evening news about what's going on between Israel and Hamas, but it's happening right here in Richland County,” Lott said.

He added that it was “only by the grace of God” that more people were not injured.

The shooting was planned, but the motive was not made public, according to Lott.

When police responded to calls from residents around 8 p.m. Tuesday, several vehicles were speeding away and individuals were running on foot. Deputies named Treshawn Keller, 17, as a person they saw running with a gun. Deputies chased Keller on foot and arrested him. The charges against Keller include battery of a high and aggravated nature, unlawful possession of a machine gun and possession of a stolen pistol, according to the Richland County Sheriff's Department.

The Sheriff's Department made another arrest Thursday morning. Details about the person's name and the charges against him have not been released. Deputies also recovered three guns, including a stolen gun that had been modified with a Glock switch, an illegal device capable of turning a pistol into an automatic weapon.

This is the second shooting in the Lakeshore community in the past year, Lott said.

It's also part of a larger pattern involving juveniles involved in gun violence in Richland County and across the country, according to Lott.

In addition to other recent shootings involving juveniles, Tuesday night's shooting echoes an incident last year when nine people were shot at an after-prom party at Meadowlake Park. Lott said the number of shots fired and the terror felt by the community during Tuesday's shooting “bring back the horror” of the Meadowlake Park incident.

The Sheriff's Department expects to make additional arrests as the investigation continues. Lott said the juveniles would be charged as adults.

He asked community members who live on Hardwood Drive, Lakevillage Drive, Longtown Road or Killian Green Drive to help identify suspects by sharing video from doorbell cameras or other cameras with the sheriff's department.