Area Law Enforcement Agencies Create Gun Violence Task Force

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO)–A new task force will be patrolling the Midlands targeting, who law enforcement call, the top ten gang members.

Richland Co. Sheriff Leon Lott and Columbia Police Chief Skipp Holbrook announced the Midlands Gangs Task Force. The two agencies are joining forces to get guns off the streets. Especially since there have already been 19 attempted murders and five murders, and we’re only four months into the year. Both law enforcement agencies said we have already surpassed gun violence numbers from last year at this time.

Sheriff Leon Lott says the shooting at Columbia mall a few weeks ago is what pushed the law enforcement agencies to say enough is enough.

“Scares the devil out of me. It scares me that this is what we’ve got in our communities. That we have young people using these type of weapons against each other, against our citizens, but also against us. So this scares me,” Lott said.  Both Sheriff Lott and Police Chief Skip Holbrook said this is a major problem in our community, especially when there is a shooting reported every day in the Columbia/Richland area.

All of the shooting victims have been African Americans, and 90% of them are males. Mostly between the ages of 17 to 25.

Skip Holbrook said they will be primarily targeting ten individuals who have expensive gang records.

“We know where these folks that we’re targeting run and hide and that’s where we want to have our most presence,” Holbrook said.

Area law enforcement has had close to 500 calls of shots fired and has seized or recovered more than 160 firearms so far this year.

The Midlands Gangs Task Force will be comprised of members of the gang, fugitive, narcotics and investigative teams. This new task force will be going after gang members diligently for 60 days and then they will take a look at how effective it was.

“The ones that we’re after are ones that have been in lots of trouble.  And that’s what we’re seeing with these shootings and robberies, it’s not a first timer. It’s someone who just keeps doing it over and over and over. And they don’t stop until they’re apprehended and locked away. That’s the only thing that’s going to stop them,” Lott said.

They also said a big part of this task force will be education and making sure citizens realize they cannot leave guns in their vehicles, because a lot of these weapons gangs are using are stolen.