RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — Several people, many of them believed to be teenagers or young adults, are recovering after a shooting that happened at a park early Saturday morning.
According to the Richland County Sheriff's Department, the shooting happened around the time deputies were called to reports of a large gathering of juveniles at Meadowlake Park at 600 Beckman Road around 1:20 a.m.
By the time deputies arrived, much of the crowd had cleared. One female victim was at the scene with an injury to the lower body due to being hit by a vehicle.
However, deputies found many shell casings at the scene from guns of different calibers. Soon, they also received calls from dispatch suggesting several people were arriving at area hospitals with gunshot wounds.
In total, nine victims had what authorities described as "varying injuries from gunfire," in addition to the victim who was struck by a vehicle and another with a hand injury.
Investigators said the victims range in age from 16 to 20 years old and the event at Meadowlake Park, which is off of Wilson Boulevard, involved students from multiple area high schools and was not a park-sponsored event.
While the initial investigation was underway, deputies were also involved in a pursuit after spotting a vehicle that was leaving the scene with its headlights off.
The driver, 19-year-old Miquise Fulwiley, and his passenger, Ty'Quan Kelly, were both arrested. However, it's not yet clear if they were involved in the shooting.
Fulwiley was charged with failure to stop for blue lights, simple possession of marijuana, and unlawful carry of a pistol. Kelly was charged with simple possession of marijuana and unlawful carry of a pistol.
The sheriff's department is now urging anyone with information about the case to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC or CrimeSC.com.