What was meant to be a magical Christmas Eve in downtown Columbia quickly turned sinister as a 29-year-old woman sustained non-life threatening injuries from a gunshot at It’s A Vibeee Hookah Lounge, which recently opened on Main Street in the Gardner Shopping Center. The alleged shooter, identified as 22-year-old Douglas Jarrod Peters, fled the scene and remains on the run from law enforcement.
The Columbia Police Department responded to the scene, but Peters fled before its arrival.
Peters faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and CPD investigators believe he has left the area, according to a press release.
Police Chief Michael Kelly has enlisted the U.S. Marshals to help in the pursuit to apprehend Peters.
“Columbia Detectives have noted that despite the lounge's brief operational period of just over a month, the Columbia Police Department has received multiple reports of altercations during privately hosted events,” according to the press release.
The CPD urges community members to contact the police department if they have any information that may lead to the arrest of Peters.
