Local police are investigating two separate shooting incidents from the weekend, one of which left shell casings in the parking lot of a government building.
The first incident took place at 11:41 p.m. Saturday when shots were fired at the intersection of Business Loop East and Range Line Street. The second incident occurred at 12:20 a.m. Sunday at Empire Roller Rink on Business Loop 70.
“As far as I know, these events are unrelated because we have no suspect information about the second incident,” Columbia Police Department spokeswoman Latisha Stroer said.
Officers were sent to the scene of the first incident after Joint Communications received multiple 911 calls from witnesses who said shots were exchanged between people in a gold four-door car and a silver Dodge Charger. The first vehicle then proceeded to go north on Range Line Street, and the Dodge Charger headed west on Business Loop 70, according to a CPD news release.
The suspect in the Dodge Charger was a black man between 18 and 20 years of age dressed in blue jeans and a flannel shirt, witnesses said.
There currently have been no reports of injuries or property damage. Four shell casings were retrieved at the intersection after the incident.
The number of shots fired and the reasoning behind the incident are still unknown, Stroer said. The department had no other information available about any other suspects as of Monday night, Stroer also said.
Officers were already at the location of the second incident when gunshots were fired.
“There was a disturbance at the roller rink, and an off-duty officer working there asked for assistance from patrol officers to move along people at the roller rink, and as they were there, shots were fired,” Stroer said.
Officers discovered six shell casings in the west parking lot of the City of Columbia’s Grissum Building. They also found two damaged vehicles parked near the scene of the incident. A Pontiac Grand Am located on the south side of 1313 Lakeview Ave. was found with a bullet hole in the trunk of the car. A CPD vehicle that was parked in between west parking lots on Lakeview Avenue had a bullet hole in the center of its hood.
No injuries were reported from this incident, and no suspect information was available as of Monday night.
Anyone with information about either incident can contact the Columbia Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 875-TIPS to remain anonymous, Stroer said.
