Overview

• Deputies arrived at about 5:15 p.m. Sunday after reports of gunfire at the Advanced Auto Parts parking lot on Deans Bridge Road and Meadowbrook Drive.
• Four juveniles were shot, with 14-year-old Deandre Howell pronounced dead at the scene and three others hospitalized (one critical, two stable).
• Specialized teams from SWAT, K9 squads and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office drone unit were deployed to secure the scene.
• The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation remains in its early stages with no suspect or motive publicly identified.
• Detectives are interviewing witnesses and canvassing the neighborhood for further leads.