A road rage incident quickly escalated March 26 in the heart of Columbia as a 16-year-old pulled a gun and opened fire at another vehicle on U.S. 98.
It started when an altercation at Crown Laundry led to a car chase where a juvenile driving a Chevrolet Tahoe began a pursuing a Dodge Challenger with three occupants. Columbia Police Department investigators, led by Det. Micheal Turner of the department’s Major Crimes Bureau, believe a planned attack was then orchestrated on Eagle Day Avenue, timed as the Challenger approached U.S. 98.
When the Challenger was approaching the busy highway, “it encountered a Chevrolet Camaro, resulting in a confrontation,” according to a press release issued by the CPD. Multiple witnesses reported to investigators that the Camaro, driven by Dakoda Shelton Merritt, 16, of Foxworth, intentionally crashed into the Challenger before Merritt started shooting into the vehicle. Nobody was shot in the altercation.
The CPD reported that all three vehicles fled the scene.
Merritt was located and arrested two days later and faces felony charges of drive-by shooting, shooting at a vehicle and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His total bond was set at $50,000, and he has since bonded out of the Marion County Regional Correctional Facility.
Both the CPD and Marion County Sheriff's Office responded to the shots fired call on March 26. Det. Turner thanked the sheriff’s office for its “invaluable support” during the investigation.
“The collaborative efforts of both agencies have been instrumental in addressing this incident and ensuring the safety of the community,” Turner said.
