COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – A woman who captured cell phone video of a shooting in Columbia last Friday is speaking publicly for the first time about what she saw — and what unfolded in the moments before a man was injured.
The shooting happened in the parking lot of a medical office plaza in the 2700 block of Middleburg Drive, just off Forest Drive. Columbia Police say officers arrived around 10:45 a.m. and found one man shot. He was taken to the hospital and was last reported in stable condition. His name has not been released.
Police also confirmed that a man who was detained and questioned after the shooting has since been released. Investigators have not said whether he was the shooter, and no charges have been filed.
The woman who recorded the video told WIS she was outside volunteering as a greeter for Planned Parenthood, which has a clinic in the medical complex. She asked not to be identified due to concerns for her safety.
She says she first noticed a confrontation between two men — one inside a vehicle, and the other standing outside with a phone in his hand.
“Typically, he does not approach cars out in the street,” she said. “But the fact that he had his camera out and he said something along the lines of, ‘say it to my face,’ while recording, made me feel like this could turn into something.”
According to the witness, the exchange escalated quickly.
“I don’t know who said something first,” she said. “But at some point, someone said, ‘Say it to my face.’ The driver probably said something back… The guy puts his car in park, gets out, goes to the back of his vehicle. He doesn’t want to be recorded.”
She says that’s when she began filming. Her video shows the confrontation turning physical, the use of pepper spray, and ultimately several gunshots. She continued recording even after the shooting, capturing the aftermath as someone yelled for bystanders to call 911.
The witness says she’s still processing what happened.
“I’m in the medical field and I was in the military, so I’m okay there,” she said. “I think the biggest shock for myself and the other greeters is that we had no idea they were packing. Now we know at least two of them are carrying weapons, and they’re supposed to be peaceful, nonviolent, non-aggressive. It’s not safe.”
Columbia Police say detectives are still interviewing additional witnesses and reviewing video evidence.
Both the witness and Planned Parenthood emphasized that the organization was not involved in the dispute that led to the shooting.
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