An overnight burst of gunfire turned a neighborhood in Columbia, South Carolina into what authorities described as a war zone, leaving at least one person dead after a shootout between suspects and police. Officers who responded to the scene found themselves under heavy fire, scrambling for cover as rounds were sent into homes in the area.
The Richland County Sheriff, Leon Scott, laid out the events for reporters and played multiple body camera videos showing how the situation unfolded. He emphasized the intensity of what his officers faced, pointing to how many times they were shot at during the encounter in what he stressed was a highly populated community.
According to authorities, the first call came in at around 12:17 in the morning, when officers responded to reports of shots fired at a house. When they arrived, they found several vehicles and a home riddled with bullets, but no victims were located at that initial scene as the night's violence was only beginning.
Less than two hours later, at 1:51 a.m., another report of shots fired came in from a different home in the same neighborhood. Three officers and a police canine responded to that second call, walking into a situation that would quickly escalate into a dangerous confrontation.
Body camera footage shown by the sheriff captured muzzle flashes as the officers scrambled for cover amid the gunfire. According to the sheriff, the three officers did return fire at some point, but their response was limited compared with the volume of shots they were being subjected to during the exchange.
An 18-year-old believed to be one of the shooters was found dead at the scene, becoming the lone confirmed fatality reported by authorities. The death underscored the severity of an episode that the sheriff and his deputies presented as far beyond an ordinary call for service.
Investigators say the violence may have involved a large number of people, with authorities indicating there could have been up to ten shooters in all. A person of interest has since been detained, and the inquiry continues as officials work to piece together what drove the chaotic, sustained gunfire through the neighborhood.