Man involved in a shooting incident sentenced to more than 3 years in Federal Prison

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - A Columbia man was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a felony.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced 55-year-old Eric Grier to prison, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision.

Evidence presented to the Court showed that on the night of Oct. 10, 2020, the Columbia Police Department received a ShotSpotter alert from the Celia Saxon neighborhood.

As officers responded to the scene, Grier was fleeing in a white car said investigators.

Officers said they tried to initiate a traffic stop but Grier refused and tried to elude law enforcement officers until he lost control of his car and stopped on a curb.

Officers then removed Grier from the car and found a discarded handgun near the passenger door.

Investigators say the slide of the gun was locked back, indicating the gun had been fired until the magazine was empty.

While Grier was in custody, officers found 10 spent shell casings near the area when they first saw Grier’s vehicle.

National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) lead indicated the shell casings were linked to the gun found near Grier’s car.

Officers executed a search warrant to test Grier’s hands for gunshot residue. Analysts with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) confirmed the spent shell casings recovered by CPD were fired from the gun found near Grier’s car.

Before this incident, officials say Grier had multiple convictions for criminal domestic violence.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the City of Columbia Police Department.

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