Two people shot and a man is charged with murder, Richland County sheriff says
A man was arrested days after a two people were shot, and one of them was killed, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
On Tuesday, the sheriff’s department said that 31-year-old Benjamin Hampton was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Hampton, who was arrested Monday, was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, where he remains locked up as no bond has been set, jail records show.
The charges are connected to a Sept. 21 shooting in the 4300 block of Mellowood Drive, the sheriff’s department said in a news release. That’s in a part of Columbia between Bluff Road and Shop Road, about 4 miles from Williams-Brice Stadium.
At about 2 a.m. Sept. 21, deputies responded to a ShotSpotter alert, according to the release. ShotSpotter is a technology that uses acoustic monitors to detect a sound like gunfire. The system sends the gunfire’s location to law enforcement within 45 seconds.
Deputies found a man outside of a house who had been shot in the upper body, the sheriff’s department said. He was taken to a local hospital, according to the release. Further information on his condition was not available.
Although the shooter, or shooters, left before deputies arrived, the law enforcement officers searched the area for evidence and discovered a second shooting victim, the sheriff’s department said. This victim was unresponsive and was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital, according to the release.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office identified the dead man as 34-year-old Columbia resident Ricky J. Bates.
During their investigation, deputies identified Hampton as Bates’ shooter, the sheriff’s department said. Arrest warrants were issued Sept. 26, and on Monday deputies received information about Hampton’s location and he was tracked down in the area near Abbott Road, according to the release.
There was no word about a motive for the shooting, or if Hampton had any connection to the victims before the gunfire. Information about anyone else who might have been involved in the shooting was not available.
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This story was originally published October 1, 2025 at 7:21 AM with the headline "Two people shot and a man is charged with murder, Richland County sheriff says."
