Another shooting in a highly trafficked area of Columbia has left one man dead.
Around 11 o’clock Sunday night, 25-year-old Anthony M. Unger was shot and killed in the parking lot at the northwest corner of Conley and Brickton roads. That parking lot houses El Maguey Mexican restaurant and Robinsons Cleaners.
This shooting comes a little more than a week after three people were shot in downtown Columbia at Broadway and 10th streets. But Sergeant Joe Bernhard of the Columbia Police Department said the two shootings are not related and that the one at Conley and Brickton did not happen at random.
“Detectives have determined that one was drug related,” Bernhard said. “It was not random. They found narcotics present at the scene.”
Still, Bernhard says Columbia has had four shootings in the last eight days. Another shooting occurred early Sunday morning at Bodie and Greensboro drives. Bernhard says residents should feel safe because the Columbia Police Department has several units working to combat violent crimes.
“Our street crimes unit—that’s part of their job to target gang activity and known violent criminals. So they’re being more busy and proactive,” Bernhard says. “And also the detective unit and the school resource officers work with the schools to identify people who are at risk of becoming gang members or are already down that path so that we can target and follow their activities or be aware of their activities.”
Bernhard says there are no suspects at this time.