Richland County swimming pool shooting leads to juvenile's arrest

COLUMBIA, SC — A juvenile suspect is in custody following a shooting at a swimming pool in the Villages at Lakeshore neighborhood in northeast Richland County.

The incident, which occurred Tuesday evening, shook the community and residents questioned their safety.

One person was injured during the incident.

Keesha Geiger, who has lived in the neighborhood for nearly seven years, described the chaos. “It was so loud you couldn’t stop hearing it,” Geiger said.

He added: “I'm a little frustrated because it's a nice area, a good area. It looks like we're probably going to have to uproot and leave this place.”

Geiger recounted his experience: “I was upstairs in the lobby, eating my salad for dinner and all of a sudden, out of nowhere I heard pop, pop, pop, pop. I ran downstairs to see where my husband was and I saw kids running out of the pool, kids running, neighbors running out of the house, everyone was outside, they were bananas.”

According to the Richland County Sheriff's Department incident report, the shooting happened around 8 p.m.

Officers spoke to two people near the pool who said they heard gunshots and started running. One of the victims was injured in the back of the arm.

Chandra Cleveland, another resident, also recounted her experience: “I saw a lot of people and I wondered where all these people were coming from, when the shooting started, when I heard it and I I wondered if it was really a shooting or what and I looked out the window and saw people running down the street.

“We want to live in peace, so when this happens, it destroys peace,” Geiger added.

Nearly all residents told News19 of their growing concerns about safety in the neighborhood.

Apartment complex management company MSJ Inc. confirmed there are currently no security cameras in the area. They have had discussions with residents and the Richland County Sheriff's Department to address safety concerns. For the moment, the swimming pool will be closed.

As for what may have led to the shooting and why the juvenile suspect opened fire, the sheriff's department has not yet provided further details.

A news conference about the incident is planned for Thursday with Sheriff Leon Lott.