On the final night of the year, a fatal argument at a Columbia apartment complex brought a tragic end to the life of 33-year-old Lenny W. Corley. The shooting occurred on December 31, 2024, at approximately 10:00 p.m. at the Riverside Apartments located on Lucius Road. When Columbia Police Department officers arrived at the scene, they discovered Corley unresponsive.
Another man was also found with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
An investigation into the shooting led to the arrests of two individuals. Sean D. Simmons, 20, was taken into custody on January 3, 2025. A second suspect, a male teenager, was arrested in Albemarle, North Carolina. Due to his age, the teenager's identity has not been publicly released. Investigators believe that the shooting stemmed from an argument between the suspects and Corley.
Both Simmons and the teen face multiple charges, including murder, breach of peace of a high and aggravated nature, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and criminal conspiracy. The teenager faces an additional charge of possession of a handgun by a person under the age of 18. Simmons was booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, where he was held without bond. The teenage suspect was held at the Stanly County Detention Center in North Carolina as he awaited extradition to Columbia.
