A man was shot and another person was injured in an altercation at a Walmart in Columbia on Sunday evening, according to Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
At around 9 p.m., officers responded to reports of a possible shooting at the Walmart Supercenter on Killian Road, the sheriff’s department told The State on Monday.
Officers saw a vehicle in the parking lot with multiple bullet holes on the driver’s side, as well as a Glock pistol outside the vehicle, the sheriff’s department said in a news release Monday. Officers also discovered a bag of green plant-like material on the passenger side floor and another on the floor next to the vehicle door, the news release said.
According to the Sheriff’s Department, officers found a male victim who had been shot and suffered non-life-threatening injuries to his forearm.
He was identified as 24-year-old Matthew Hermz and the sheriff’s office said he was involved in the altercation.
Hermz was taken to a local hospital where his injuries were treated, and once he was medically evaluated, he was booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, the release said. Hermz was charged with first-degree manufacture/possession of other Schedule I II III substances with intent to distribute (controlled substance), the sheriff’s department said.
Bail was set at $2,500 for Hermz, a Michigan resident who is scheduled to appear in court again on Sept. 27, according to Richland County court records. Hermz is still on the inmate list at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and remains behind bars, jail records show.
Shortly after the shooting, officers learned that a second victim from the Walmart shooting had been taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff’s department said. It was not clear if that person had been shot, and information on their condition was not available.
No further injuries were reported.
There was no information on how many people were involved in the shooting or whether more than one person fired a weapon. There was no information on how the altercation started or a motive for the shooting.
It was unclear whether the shooting was limited to the Walmart parking lot or whether shots were fired elsewhere on the premises or inside the megastore.
The shooting remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Department.
Anyone with information about the Walmart shooting is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at 803-576-3000 or CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit a tip online.
Past History
This is not the first time a violent incident has been reported at the Walmart at 321 Killian Road.
In October 2023, an incident of road rage escalated into a fight that escalated at the Walmart Supercenter, according to the sheriff’s office. The incident began in the Walmart parking lot, where two men got into an argument that continued inside the store and escalated into physical violence.
An off-duty Forest Acres police officer broke up the fight, but one of the men involved in the fight pointed a gun at the officer and the other combatant, the sheriff’s department said. The officer then struggled with the armed man before taking the weapon from him, the sheriff’s department said.
No shots were fired during the incident, the sheriff’s department said.
In April 2017, another incident occurred at Walmart.
On that occasion, a man attempted to steal a shopping cart full of merchandise valued at about $1,200 from the megastore, according to the sheriff’s department. When an employee confronted him, the man displayed a knife and an axe before fleeing the Walmart with the stolen merchandise, according to the sheriff’s department.
