DOJ: Columbia man goes to federal prison after shooting himself in the leg
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - A Columbia man is facing an unfortunate fate after shooting himself in the leg, according to federal investigators.
Officers with the Columbia Police Department said Contaurus Dermont Smith, 46, shot himself in the leg in the street on June 30, 2023. He was found near the 900 block of House Street, according to a news release the U.S. Department of Justice.
Officers found him laying in the street, and then reviewed security footage to determine what happened. They saw something suspicious ― video of someone pick up an object and move it inside a home at 940 House Street.
Based on that video and a witness statement, officers got a warrant to search the home and found four different guns, including a device that converted one gun into a machine gun.
Officers found: a Ruger .38 caliber pistol, Ruger 9mm pistol, Glock .45 caliber pistol and CZ 9mm pistol
Smith, also known as Vashon Smith or Rammelle Spencer, had been previously convicted of a felony. He told authorities that he owned one of the illegal guns and said shot himself accidentally.
He was sentenced to more than 5 years in federal prison based off his record.
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