Woman in stable condition after being shot at Frankie’s Fun Park in Columbia

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - The Columbia Police Department is investigating a shooting that left a woman injured inside Frankie’s Fun Park in northwest Columbia.

The shooting happened around 9:15 P.M. on Monday night at the busy amusement park, which includes arcade games, mini-golf, laser tag, go-karts, and batting cages.

Frankie’s is on Parkridge Drive, just across the interstate from the Columbiana Centre Mall.

The woman who was shot in the lower part of her body is in stable condition, according to police.

Stewart Steele was there with his wife and a few friends.

They were just getting ready to play some mini-golf when he heard a shot coming from the bathroom area.

“Kids aren’t allowed to be kids anymore, and it’s not good for society as a whole,” Steele said. “I think discipline is a big part of it. I see a lot of parents just letting their kids do whatever, and then you end up with situations like this.”

Steele said his main concern was for the children.

“It was surreal,” he said. “It was hard to believe that it happened.”

When the shooting happened, Steele said his wife jumped into action.

“My wife ended up making it to the bathroom and got a handful of ladies and their kids to all get in the bathroom, and she barricaded the bathroom door,” he said.

Steele commended Frankie’s employees for their bravery.

Several were helping people out of the building to safety, he said.

“All the employees that I saw, they kept a level head and stayed calm during this,” Steele said.

Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage, and believe a male suspect fired a shot after a fight between at least two groups.

Frankie’s Fun Park reopened at noon on Tuesday for normal operating hours.

The incident did not stop customers like Erving Dupree and his son from coming to spend the afternoon there.

“We always love Frankie’s Fun Park, but that is very unfortunate to hear,” he said. “We will take a little bit more precautions and be more aware of our surroundings, but it doesn’t deter us wholeheartedly.”

Dupree said he would like to see some additional safety measures put in place, possibly even metal detectors.

“Just a sign of the times, more and more things are happening in public places,” he said. “People are having no regard for the public in general. They’re just taking out their actions just how they feel.”

Frankie’s Fun Park’s general manager declined to comment on the incident on Tuesday.

Police have not made any arrests.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact Crimestoppers.

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