4 Charged In Columbia Shooting That Injured Bystander & 4-Year-Old Son
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Four men are charged in a February shooting in Columbia that injured three people, including a bystander and her child, police said Thursday.
Malachi Smith, 18, and Tony Terrell Blunt, Jr., and Byron Lamar Dickey, Jr., both 19, are charged with multiple firearm offenses in connection with the Feb. 13 shooting, which authorities say happened during an illegal gun sale.
A fourth suspect, who was 17 at the time, is charged with first- and second-degree assault as well as firearm offenses, Howard County Police said in a news release.
The shooting occurred about 3 p.m. Feb. 13 near the Wilde Lake Village Center in Columbia, police previously reported.
Based on their preliminary investigation, detectives believe that Smith and the 17-year-old had arranged to meet with Blunt and Dickey for the gun sale, police said. At some point, things escalated into a dispute and shootout.
Blunt was wounded in the shooting, as were a 43-year-old woman and her 4-year-old son, all of whom were treated for their injuries at Shock Trauma, police said.
Investigators suspect the 17-year-old fired the rounds that struck Blunt. No one has been charged with firing the stray bullets that struck the woman and her child.
Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to call police at 410-313-STOP.