Columbia man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition in connection with near fatal shooting

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — A Columbia man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after being found guilty at trial to possession of ammunition by a felon, said the Dept. of Justice.

Investigators say evidence shows that on Feb. 4, 2020, the City of Columbia Police Department (CPD) responded to a shooting incident at a local apartment complex.

When officers arrived at the complex they discovered a living victim with multiple gunshot wounds lying in the parking lot near 9 fired .45 auto shell casings.

After further investigating the case, surveillance cameras that captured the incident were found.

The surveillance footage revealed Bernard Breeland walked across a parking lot where CPD later recovered the .45 auto shell casings, grabbing a man by the collar with a firearm, and shooting the man at close range multiple times before running away from the crime scene.

Officers say the shooting victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds as a result of the injury.

Breeland was identified in the surveillance video by an officer from the Midlands Gang Task Force, as he is a known gang member.

He was sentenced to a maximum term of 120 months imprisonment, to be followed by three years of court-ordered supervision by U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr.