RCSD Continues to Investigate Weekend Shootings

The Richland County Sheriff's Department is investigating three separate shooting incidents from the weekend.

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO) — The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is investigating three separate shooting incidents from the weekend. As of Monday afternoon, Sheriff Leon Lott said they are continuing to investigate but all 3 might be gang or drug related.

“We’re still actively investigating them,” said Sheriff Leon Lott. “What’s happening to us is victims are refusing to cooperate with us.”

That’s a trend Sheriff Lott said they are continuing to see.

“A lot of these shootings that we’ve got, they’ll appear at the hospital ‘I don’t want to cooperate,’ or we’ll respond to the scene and they won’t want to give us any information,” said Sheriff Lott.

Sheriff Lott said many of the shootings this year are what they call ‘retaliation shootings,’ including one of this weekends violent altercations.

“One of the victims this past weekend was involved in a shooting last weekend and then he gets shot this weekend, so we’re seeing that it’s gang and drug related and those go hand-in-hand,” explained Sheriff Lott.

During the summer, the Sheriff’s Department implemented a turn-in system to combat gang violence. While the Sheriff says the program is working, they need the community’s involvement to help tackle the issue.

“We’ve got to stop it before it ever happens and that’s where the community really plays a big part,” said Sheriff Lott. “We’ve seen a downward trend in that with the community being involved and hopefully by emphasizing talking about it we’re going to get the community back and energized in it.”