- A RBHS student’s car was hit as a result of the shooting on Monday. The student said the shots sounded like firecrackers going off or bricks being dropped. The license plate has been altered to protect the student’s anonymity. Photo by Parker Sutherland
Police arrested four people in connection with a shooting Monday near RBHS. Two were arrested at the school.
According to a Columbia Police Department press release, a 16-year-old juvenile who attends RBHS, former RBHS students Christopher Roseberry (18) and Devon Hicks (18) and RBHS senior Nicholas “Nick” R. Thomas have been arrested and charged with armed criminal action and first-degree assault.
Other confrontations among the four suspects and the victims have occurred, according to the CPD release. Prior to the shooting, the four suspects saw the victims’ car at the McDonald’s on Nifong and waited for the victims somewhere on the south outer Providence Road near RBHS. On the way to the school the defendants pulled in behind the victims’ car and fired toward the victims’ car. Both vehicles traveled southbound on the outer road approaching RBHS.
The intended vehicle was not struck; however, an uninvolved vehicle was hit with gunfire. A student speaking on the condition of anonymity said he was driving in front of Angelo’s when he heard sounds like those of bricks slamming or fireworks going off. He dropped low in his seat, he said, and gunned his vehicle into the RBHS parking lot.
The student heard rumors about the shooting in class. After school he went to a friend’s house and noticed the bullet holes.
“I then proceeded to follow through and find that one of the bullets stopped about two inches from coming out of my back seat and hitting me,” the student said. “That kind of freaked me out a lot, and I’m still freaked out.”
No one was hurt when the eight to nine shots were fired, according to the press release.
RBHS Principal Mark Maus said the situation was handled smoothly as a result of the cooperation among students, RBHS staff and CPD.
“We always want our students, faculty and staff to feel safe at Rock Bridge,” Maus said.”We have a great community that supports Rock Bridge as well, and everyone was safe during this entire time.”
See earlier story here.
By Avantika Khatri, Sami Pathan and Shivangi Singh
additional reporting by Jack Schoelz and Kirsten Buchanan
