Woman killed in shooting near UofSC campus identified by coroner

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - An overnight shooting over the weekend near the University of South Carolina’s campus left a woman dead and four injured, according to the Columbia Police Department.

Officers were called to Greene Crossing Apartments at 810 Pulaski Street around 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning for a reported shooting.

Jamacia Dowling, 20, of Columbia, was identified as the deceased by the Richland County Coroner.

CPD says when officers arrived, multiple people were running and driving away from the scene. When additional officers went into the building five victims were found.

A 22-year-old male, Dowling, a 19-year-old male and two 16-year-old males were all identified, according to CPD.

According to police, the victims were at a party inside the apartment when an argument started and multiple people began shooting.

Kaitlin Gaglio, a resident of Greene Crossing, said her roommate woke up to the sound of gunfire.

“I was sleeping at this point, but she woke up at like 1ish and she heard a car backfiring like two or three times, which I guess now she realizes it wasn’t a car backfiring at all, it was gunshots,” she said. “She woke up, she heard cars screeching out of the parking lot and she was just kind of scared about it.”

In a statement released by the University of South Carolina, it was announced none of the victims are affiliated with the school. Greene Crossing is located near UofSC’s Founders Park and specializes in “superior student living options,” according to its website.

None of the victims were residents of Greene Crossing, police said.

Medical aid was rendered to the victims, and they were all taken to an area hospital. Officers say several of the victims were able to speak about what happened.

Aside from speaking with potential witnesses, officers collected evidence at the scene, and are working to determine if surveillance video can aid the ongoing investigation.

The Richland County Coroner’s Office is aiding the investigation.

Caitlin Fitzgerald, who lives at the complex, said she woke up to the sound of sirens, and immediately called her father because she was so scared.

She said this is a sobering reminder that she and her friends need to take more precautions when going out.

“When you go places you don’t necessarily think about that, so I know that me and my roommates were talking about like that could’ve been us, we could’ve easily been there,” Fitzgerald said. “So just thinking about who you’re around and making sure that, I mean weapons should not be used around alcohol. We’re making it a point to make sure that we know everybody where we’re going from now on.”

Gaglio has lived at Greene Crossing for three years, and though she has not had any safety concerns in the past, she believes following this incident management should do more to keep those who do not live at the complex outside the buildings.

“It does make me question how people got into the building in the first place,” she said. “And it does make me a little bit scared of living here in the future.”

Chief Holbrook encourages citizens with information about the incident to contact CRIMESTOPPERS in any of the following ways: CALL toll-free, 888-CRIME-SC. LOG onto: www.midlandscrimestoppers.com, and click on the red “Submit a tip” tab. DOWNLOAD the new P3 Tips App for Apple or Android devices.

The University of South Carolina Police also says anyone with information concerning this incident can submit a tip using the RAVE Guardian Safety App.

Copyright 2022 WIS. All rights reserved.

Notice a spelling or grammar error in this article? Click or tap here to report it. Please include the article’s headline.