WINNSBORO – Two Fairfield teenagers involved in a shooting at an intersection adjacent to The Strawberry Patch convenience store on Columbia Road are under arrest and charged with aggravated assault.
Just before 4 p.m., on Thursday, Nov. 11, Fairfield County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the area of 9th Street and Columbia Road after two cars of teenagers were reported to be shooting at each other. When deputies arrived on scene, however, the shooters had left the location.
After several witnesses provided names of the two cars’ occupants, deputies contacted five teens and arrested two of them, a 16-year-old male who was transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice on Broad River Road and a 17-year-old male, who was charged as an adult, was transported to the Fairfield County Detention Center, the incident report stated.
Two other 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old, who were drivers or passengers in the two cars were not taken into custody, according to Lt. Bill Dove, Director of Investigations for the Sheriff’s Office.
A witness stated that a black Mustang pulled up next to him at the stop sign at 9th Street and Columbia Road and that a male passenger in the Mustang began shooting over his (witness’) car at another car, a silver Ford Crown Victoria, according to the incident report. The witness stated that he did not think he was the target but was caught in the crossfire.
Through the investigation, officers learned that a 16-year-old who was hanging out the back driver’ side window of the Crown Victoria and a 17-year-old passenger in the Mustang, were shooting at each other.
Both teens who were arrested admitted to being the shooters, but both claimed the other shot first, according to the report.
The incident was captured on the convenient store’s surveillance cameras.
