9 shot, 2 injured after early morning shooting at Columbia-area park (2024)

COLUMBIA — Weeks before nine teens and young adults were shot in Meadowlake Park early April 29, Brandy Olivis had scheduled a 5K walk later the same day to raise awareness about gun violence at the northeast Columbia recreation spot.

Olvis, who founded a nonprofit calledFor Ryan’s Sakeafter her son Ryan Rowe was shot and killed a year ago, went ahead with the event at the park just hours after victims were taken to hospitals and police officers finished their investigation.

“It's even more reason for us to come out and bring attention to the type of situation that happens in our communities,” Olvis said. “It just goes to show how much work we need to do.”

The Columbia park mass shooting was South Carolina's largest in almost a year. AMemorial Day shootingon the East Side of Charleston left nine people wounded by gunfire and led to injuries of three law enforcement officers, according to theGun Violence Archive.

In addition to the nine gunshot victims, two others were injured at Meadowlake Park, according to the Richland County Sheriff's Department. One victim suffered a hand injury and another was struck by a vehicle. Multiple people were hospitalized, but information about their condition has not been released.

Officials have not released information about a possible motive for the shooting but said that the gathering, which was not a park-sponsored event, involved students from high schools across the area. The victims' ages range from 16 to 20 years old.

Three students from Keenan High School, located 2 miles north of the park, were hospitalized with gunshot wounds, Richland One district spokeswoman Karen York said. A fourth student from C.A. Johnson High School also was hospitalized after being stuck by a car. No word on their condition was released.

Keenan High held its prom on April 28.

The district plans to have additional security at Keenan and Johnson high schools starting May 1.

Richland County deputies first received a call about a large gathering of teens and young adults at Meadowlake Park off Wilson Boulevard around 1:20 a.m. April 29, the department said. When they arrived at the county park, only a few people remained, including a female victim who had been hit by a vehicle leaving the scene.

Around the same time, deputies tried to stop a car leaving the scene without its headlights on.

After a pursuit, deputies arrested the car's driver and passenger, both men from Columbia, according to the department statement.

A 19-year-old, Miquise Fulwiley, was charged with failure to stop for blue lights, simple possession of marijuana, and unlawful carry of a pistol, and an 18-year old, Ty’Quan Kelly, was charged with simple possession of marijuana and unlawful carry of a pistol.

Investigators are working to determine if a recovered gun was involved in the park shooting.

Fulwiley was released from custody without having to post bail April 29, according to online records. Kelly remained at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia after he received bonds totaling $10,615 for his charges. Kelly was already out on $2,500 bail tied to separate drug possession and weapons charges in a March 1 arrest, according to online court records. A motion hearing on those charges was held April 21.

By early afternoon April 29, there was little sign that there had been any disturbance at the park. The main activity was Olvis packing up after her gun-awareness event.

“We need relationships with these children,” said Olvis, who works with other Columbia nonprofits to provide long term mentorship to teenagers.

The mass shooting was the fifth in South Carolina this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. In all of 2022, South Carolina had 20 mass shootings where at least four people are killed or wounded.

The state's last mass shooting took place three weeks ago whenfive people were shotduring a school "senior skip day" under a pier on the beach on Isle of Palms near Charleston.

Two months ago, five people died — includingthree children—in a domestic-violence shooting in Sumter.

This was Columbia's first mass shooting in more than a year.Nine shoppers were woundedand another six injured in the panic to escape during a 2022 Easter weekend gun fight inside Columbiana Centre, the region's busiest mall.

T. Michael Boddie and Andy Shain contributed to this report.