According to the Columbia Police Department, Antavius Brown shot his girlfriend Saturday morning and led South Carolina law enforcement on a pursuit that concluded in a multi-vehicle accident, resulting in the deaths of two drivers and a dog. Brown, who was the suspected shooter, “probably shot himself in the lower body while inside his vehicle,” police stated in a news release.
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The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly named the driver of another vehicle caught in the three-car collision. The driver of a third vehicle that was part of the crash was taken to the hospital. The woman who was shot in her lower body sustained what police described as a non-life-threatening injury. Additional details regarding her condition were not disclosed.
Police reported that they became involved in the situation around 11 a.m. after responding to calls regarding a shooting at the Cross Hill Apartments located in the 4400 block of Blossom Street, near the intersection of Beltline Boulevard and Devine Street. The incident was related to domestic issues, and Brown drove his girlfriend to a nearby hospital, as per the release. Details about the circumstances leading up to the shooting were not provided. Upon arriving at the hospital, the Brown threatened to return to the home on Blossom Street and cause harm to both juveniles inside and himself, according to police.
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Authorities obtained a description of the vehicle driven by the Brown, which the South Carolina Highway Patrol later identified as a 2021 Dodge sedan, and discovered the car parked behind a business in the 4000 block of Leesburg Road, as stated in the release. This area is located in Hopkins and falls under the jurisdiction of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, leading police to request assistance from deputies. While officers attempted to reach Brown for his arrest, the individual fled the scene, resulting in a pursuit involving both law enforcement agencies, according to police.
Antavius Brown was driving a Dodge west on Garners Ferry Road when he collided with a 2001 Toyota SUV turning left from Hazelwood Road, as stated by Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway of the Highway Patrol. This incident happened 6 miles from where officers first encountered the Dodge and 4 miles from the shooting location. After the initial crash, the Dodge hit a 2005 Toyota sedan that was stopped at a traffic light on Garners Ferry Road. All three drivers were taken to Prisma Health Richland Hospital, where Brown and the Toyota SUV driver died, according to Ridgeway. Further details on the Toyota sedan driver are not available. A dog in the Toyota SUV was killed in the crash. At the time of the incident, Brown was live streaming during the police pursuit, and officers seized his gun at the crash scene. The Highway Patrol is investigating the crash, while the police and coroner’s office are looking into the shooting.
