Man who opened fire on Greystone Boulevard was shot and is in custody, Columbia police say
A man is in custody after police say he opened fire with a handgun while walking down a busy Columbia road Tuesday.
The gunman, identified as 26-year-old Brandon Joyner, was shot in the upper body in an exchange of gunfire with members of the Columbia Police Department, Deputy Chief Melron Kelly said at a news conference.
After being shot by a Columbia police officer, Joyner was taken to an area hospital with what Kelly said was a non-life-threatening injury.
A police officer was injured during the shooting, and Kelly said he was trying to determine the extent of his injuries.
No other injuries were reported.
At least one police car was shot multiple times, according to Kelly.
“At 11:37 a.m. Columbia Police Department received a call of a man with a gun firing shots into the air as he walked along Stoneridge, Greystone Boulevard area,” Kelly said at the news conference, where he was joined by Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott. “Officers arrived on scene approximately four minutes later and encountered the gentleman. He subsequently started firing at them. Officers returned fire, and he fled the area.”
Information about when Joyner was taken into custody was not available, but he was encountered by Richland County deputies as he ran away into a woodline in the area, Kelly said.
“It was a team effort. CPD and the sheriff’s department immediately responded,” Lott said. “We contained the scene quickly.”
Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene at about the same time as police officers, and Joyner opened fire on them as soon as one law enforcement officer stepped out of a patrol vehicle, according to Kelly.
“He absolutely had no regard for the lives of the members of the public he was shooting at, nor the officers that encountered him,” Kelly said.
The deputy chief said Joyner is a “documented gang member” who is on probation and is prohibited from carrying a weapon.
Joyner has a criminal record that dates back to 2014, according to a background check obtained by The State. Court records show the 26-year-old being convicted of multiple misdemeanor and felony offenses including disorderly conduct, burglary and assault and battery.
Just last year, Joyner was charged with publicly discharging a firearm in Greenwood and possessing a weapon as a convicted felon. He received bond on those charges and the case’s disposition remains pending.
There was no word about a motive for the gunfire Tuesday.
Although the Joyner is in custody, the scene of the shooting remained active Tuesday afternoon as the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the South Carolina Highway Patrol were also on the scene with police and the sheriff’s department, according to Kelly.
“There’s a large law enforcement presence in the area as we process the scene,” Kelly said.
Police are also investigating the Joyner’s criminal and mental health histories, according to Kelly.
The active shooting
The I-126 exit for Greystone Boulevard was closed, the South Carolina Department of Transportation reported. Traffic cameras near the exit were disabled.
A reporter on the scene saw a SWAT truck near the intersection of Stoneridge and Greystone and a man in handcuffs being led away from the scene. Occupants of nearby hotels were standing in the street after being told to evacuate, and first responders were seen carrying several children down the street.
An employee at the Homewood Suites on Greystone said that the Tru by Hilton hotel on Stoneridge had been evacuated. Their own hotel was under lockdown, according to the employee.
“It’s very, very scary,” said Jessica Harris of Gaston, S.C, who was in town for a child’s birthday party. She said she was checking out from the Embassy Suites on Greystone around 11:45 a.m. when she saw police “whipping” through the parking lot.
What started as five to six police cars soon grew as she counted some 70 police cars driving down Greystone. There was no explanation for the chaos, Harris said, as she recalled praying out loud with her children crying in the car.
“I’ve never in my life seen anything like this.”
Shortly after 1 p.m., law enforcement were still patrolling the Shell station and hotel parking lots. The area was taped off, and officers were being instructed to check hotel parking lots for damage.
An employee at a law firm on Greystone Boulevard said that law enforcement was searching cars that were leaving the area.
People were being advised to avoid the area.
This story was originally published July 18, 2023 at 12:10 PM with the headline "Man who opened fire on Greystone Boulevard was shot and is in custody, Columbia police say."
.jpg)