As friends watched Martha Childress collapse to the ground, they never expected the 18-year-old freshman at University of South Carolina would be paralyzed the next day. Early Sunday morning, a fight broke out near the fountain on Harden Street in Five Points. Unfortunately, the one who paid the price for the outbreak was an innocent bystander. After a shot was fired, police rushed over, but were not quick enough to block the shot from hitting Childress right in the spine.
Michael Juan Smith, the only suspect in the shooting as of now, has been involved in multiple crimes before. Not only has he been charged with two different burglaries, but has also been charged with “obstructing justice” this past summer. Clearly, these criminal acts should have been taken more seriously. It could have prevented Smith from walking around Five Points with a stolen gun.
Childress remains under care at Palmetto Health Richland, and will probably never walk again. Although Five Points has been a location for multiple stabbings and shootings within the past couple of years, this tragedy has been an eye opener for many students at USC, as well others who enjoy going to bars there. It has become evident that Five Points is not safe past midnight, even for people just trying to catch a cab home, like Childress.
Although police immediately took action, there needs to be more involvement with gang violence downtown. It seems too many of them choose to stand outside bars, waiting to catch the next underage drinker with a fake ID. Even though drinking under 21 or owning false identification is illegal, it’s clear that gangs and fights are root for larger issues. Columbia may need to reevaluate how many officers they should have on duty late at night in Five Points, and how often they should be patrolling the area, instead of standing in one place.
Apparently, officials are thinking about installing more lights and call boxes to help make Five Points a safer place. More than anything though, there needs to be thought on what police should be paying more attention to. Many employees at different bars have warned officials that they need to do more about the violence. Innocent students can become victims of fights exactly like the one Smith was involved in. As for now, Martha Childress is in all of our thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.