COLUMBIA, S.C. — A Hartsville 18-year-old has been arrested and charged with opening fire outside a student apartment complex in Columbia earlier in the month.
According to an update from the Columbia Police Department, investigators with the assistance of the U.S. Marshal's Service found the teen, Bryan Cockfield, at a relative's home in Hartsville weeks after he allegedly opened fire outside Park Place apartments on March 18.
Officers were initially dispatched to shots fired near the Huger Street apartment complex to reports of gunfire. Witnesses at the scene said that someone had fired shots in the air before leaving the scene.
Based on what they've learned, police believe Cockfield had been inside an apartment and hallway when a fight started. Police said people ran away from the fight and Cockfield allegedly fired his gun. No one was injured by the gunfire, police said.
Students with the University of South Carolina who stayed at the apartment complex notified the University of South Carolina Police Department who came to the scene and assisted Columbia Police.
Witness statements and video from the scene helped police identify Cockfield who is now being held at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on charges of unlawful carry of a pistol and breach of peace of a high and aggravated nature.