Coroner identifies teen in justified homicide

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - A body was found over the weekend in an apartment complex in Columbia.

Sheriff Leon Lott announces the homicide has been determined to be justified.

Deputies with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department say they arrived Sunday evening around 5:30 p.m. at a home on Ross Road in the Gable Hill apartment complex.

When they entered the apartment they found a male lying in the doorway of a bathroom and he appeared to be dead. The deceased has been identified as Keonte Smith, 17, of Columbia, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

After clearing the residence, deputies say they saw blood and a handgun with an extended magazine. They observed broken windows and bullet holes in walls throughout the apartment and building.

During the investigation, it was discovered that two juveniles were at home when they saw a man trying to break in. The juveniles hid but when the man entered the apartment, he fired at them. One of the juveniles shot back with a weapon in the home and struck the intruder.

“We continue to lose young people to gun violence,” Sheriff Lott said. “This community problem will only continue until we get parents and young people involved in the solution. Let’s pray and work together before we lose another life.”

A witness said that they heard gunshots an hour or two before deputies arrived on the scene, according to an incident report.

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