Shots fired leads deputies to grisly discovery of two bodies, Richland County sheriff says

Two people were killed and another was injured Tuesday night in a shooting, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

At about 10 p.m., deputies responded to a report of a shooting in the 300 block of Hickory Ridge Drive, the sheriff’s department said Wednesday in a news release. That’s in the Columbia area, between Garners Ferry Road and Leesburg Road.

Deputies found a vehicle in a yard with two unresponsive victims inside, according to the release. Both EMS and the Columbia Fire Department also responded to the scene and it was determined that the people in the car were dead, the sheriff’s department said.

The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the victims found in the vehicle.

A third shooting victim was located inside the home and taken to an area hospital, according to the release. The sheriff’s department said that person suffered non-life-threatening injuries, but further information on their condition was not available.

The sheriff’s department called Tuesday’s gunfire a double homicide and said it’s “related to a possible drive-by shooting.” It was not clear if Tuesday’s shooting was considered a drive-by, and information about when a previous shooting happened was not available.

The sheriff’s department previously said two people were injured in a drive-by shooting that happened after they left a party in the area near the intersection of Briercliff Drive and Hardscrabble Road Saturday night, but did not say that incident was connected to Tuesday’s shooting.

There was no word about a shooter or shooters, or anyone else involved in the Tuesday night gunfire.

No arrests have been reported, and the shooting continues to be investigated by the sheriff’s department.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.