Five wounded in mobile home park shooting

COLUMBUS -- A 16-year-old Columbus boy was arrested late Tuesday night in connection with a shotgun shooting earlier in the evening at a city mobile home park that left five people wounded.

The teen, who has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and use of weapon to commit a felony, is in custody at the Northeast Nebraska Juvenile Detention Center in Madison.

Authorities are investigating a report that the shooting stemmed from a possible dispute between the suspect and victim(s) earlier in the day that escalated into violence, Columbus Police Capt. Chuck Sherer said this morning.

“We’re still trying to piece it all together to see if we have all the players and victims,’’ said Sherer when asked if investigators were seeking other suspects in the shooting.

If anyone has any information related to the shooting incident, Sherer asked them to call the department.

The five victims of the 6:42 p.m. shooting at Carriage House Estates in the 2500 block of Fourth Avenue also were juveniles. All five victims suffered minor injuries from shotgun pellets and refused treatment at the scene.

The names of the suspect and victims are not being released by law enforcement authorities because of their ages. One of the victims is a resident of the mobile home park, while the others are city residents who were visiting the area.

The police department dispatch center received a call reporting several shots fired at the mobile home park and a “red” vehicle leaving the scene. The caller wasn’t able to identify the make or model of the vehicle. A second call reported several shots fired at the east end of the mobile home park.

Sherer said officers arrived at the scene and called for an ambulance to treat the shooting victims. Meanwhile, other city officers located an abandoned orange 1996 Chevrolet Camaro at a residence in the 800 block of 26th Avenue that was suspected to be involved in the shooting.

The weapon used in the shooting had not been recovered as of this morning, Sherer said.

About 10 police officers responded to the shooting report and spent more than an hour questioning potential witnesses as onlookers lined nearby streets and watched from mobile home porches.

Witnesses at the scene described an incident in which the occupant(s) of the vehicle rolled down a window and fired in the direction of several people standing outside of a mobile home, Sherer said. A number of witnesses were transported to the police department for questioning.

Witnesses could be reluctant to come forward with information because of the fear of retaliation, he said.

The charges against the shooting suspect are Class II felonies, punishable by a maximum sentence of 50 years and a minimum of one year imprisonment.