9 injured by gunfire at teen party in South Carolina park

Nine people were injured by gunfire during a teen party at a park in Columbia, South Carolina, authorities said.

In all, 11 people were hurt in the incident, nine with varying injuries from gunfire, one struck by a vehicle and one with a hand injury. The victims range in age from 16 to 20 years old.

Around 1:20 a.m. on Saturday, sheriff’s deputies were called to Meadowlake Park where a crowd of teenagers from various high schools had gathered, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said in a Facebook post. The event was not park-sponsored, the sheriff’s office said. 

Upon arrival at the park, deputies said most of the people left, but they found shell casings scattered around. Dispatch soon began alerting police that gunshot victims were arriving at area hospitals.

Deputies attempted to make a traffic stop for a car without headlights leaving the park, but the car didn’t stop, the sheriff said. Deputies chased the car and found a pistol in the car, the sheriff’s department said. Investigators are trying to determine if the pistol was used in the park incident.