Three teenagers charged in connection with March gunfire incident
COLUMBIA - Three teenagers face charges in connection with an incident in late March, in which gunfire damaged a car.
The incident happened March 26 in the area of Shamrock Drive and Irma Drive in northeast Columbia. At the time, police said one vehicle approached another, and someone in the first vehicle shot at the second. No one was hurt.
On Thursday, prosecutors charged Damon Thompson, Malik Townsend and Kevin Buckner with assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon for the incident. Police arrested Thompson, 17, on Thursday. Arrest warrants have been issued for Townsend, who is 19 years old, and Buckner, who is 18.
According to a probable cause statement, the victim said he saw a black Ford Focus follow him after he left the convenience store at Ballenger Lane and Rice Road. As he continued driving, the victim said he saw a rifle coming out of a window of the Focus, and heard gunfire as he turned onto Irma Drive. At that point, the man said he stopped and moved to protect his young son, who was also in the car.
The victim told police he was able to identify those in the Focus as Kevin Buckner, Malik Townsend and Damon Thompson, thanks in part to a Facebook Live video posted shortly before the gunfire showing all three teenagers together.
A relative of the victim reported to police that she had talked to Thompson's mother, and that Thompson said he didn't know there was a child in the car.