RCSD makes two new arrests in Meadowlake Park mass shooting
Richland Co., S.C. (WOLO) — The Richland County Sheriff’s Department says they have made additional arrests in the Meadowlake Park mass shooting and are still looking for more suspects.
In the early hours on Saturday morning, students from different high schools across the Midlands gathered for a party. Eleven people were injured in the shooting, according to the investigators.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott held an urgent briefing announcing the arrest of two more suspects Wednesday night.
“Two brothers, they’re both 16. They’ll be seventeen in five days so they’re charged as juveniles at this point. So I can’t give out their names,” says Sheriff Lott.
The sheriff also says he will be asking the solicitor’s office for them to be tried as adults. Originally, the suspects were not on their radar for the mass shooting.
“They were involved in another shooting unrelated to what happened at Meadowlake that we were investigating. Kentucky Fried Chicken up in the Broad River Road area, there was a shooting there. Our investigators worked that – we determined these two brothers were involved in that shooting. We did a search warrant this morning where we arrested them on those charges but we recovered some weapons, an assault rifle and some pistols. Our ballistics people were able to determine that the shell casings that we found at the shooting this weekend matches at least one of the guns that we recovered and it also matches some other shootings too. They’ve got two others in the county and a couple in the city,” said Sheriff Lott.
The sheriff says they face two counts of attempted murder and additional charges could come as early as Thursday. This comes just after a judge revoked 18-year-old Ty’Quan Kelly’s bond who was arrested along with 19-year-old Miquise Fulwiley while fleeing from Meadowlake Park on Saturday.
According to investigators, Ty’Quan was already out on two other bonds at the time of his arrest. In court, the defense says because Kelly is on crutches, he does not match the descriptions from witnesses who say the shooters were running behind buildings.
“Well there was a lot of kids there, they didn’t have masks on and they didn’t have guns with them. That’s my response to that. 100 to 200 kids there didn’t have masks on and guns but both of them had it. Both of them are documented gang members,” says Sheriff Lott.
The sheriff made it clear these suspects are not students.
“They’re not in school and the earlier two we arrested – these are not high school students who are going to school. These are criminals, they’re not your typical high school students,” says Sheriff Lott.
More arrests are expected to be made, according to investigators. ABC Columbia News will keep you updated.
