Columbia Man Gets 7+ Years for Firing 10 Rounds in Retaliation Shootout

Leonard Earl Mitchell, 30, of Columbia, South Carolina, is headed to federal prison for more than seven years after opening fire with a 9mm pistol in a retaliatory ambush that left shell casings scattered across a Two Notch Road parking lot. Mitchell pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition, a charge stemming from a violent exchange of gunfire captured on surveillance video.

After Columbia police responded to reports of shots fired, they recovered nine spent shell casings at the scene. Surveillance footage showed an unidentified suspect firing two rounds from a moving vehicle toward Mitchell as he exited a local business. Mitchell, visibly marked by distinctive facial tattoos, ducked into a parked car, retrieved a firearm, and unleashed ten rounds in pursuit—then fled the scene. A Columbia officer recognized Mitchell from a prior encounter, leading to his swift identification.

When arrested, Mitchell was in possession of a 9mm pistol that ballistics tests confirmed had fired the casings found at the scene. Despite having no lawful right to possess ammunition, Mitchell armed himself and escalated a roadside confrontation into a full-blown gunfight. His criminal history includes convictions for assault and battery in multiple degrees, distribution of marijuana, possession of methamphetamine and cocaine, fleeing police, and carrying a weapon as an inmate.

U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis handed down a 90-month sentence, followed by three years of court-ordered supervision. With no parole in the federal system, Mitchell will serve nearly the entire term behind bars. Prosecutors emphasized the danger posed by repeat offenders brandishing firearms in public spaces, calling the incident a textbook case of urban gun violence.

The investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the City of Columbia Police Department. Authorities credited interagency cooperation and forensic evidence for quickly linking Mitchell to the weapon and the scene. The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s flagship initiative targeting violent offenders through coordinated federal, state, and local enforcement.

Assistant United States Attorney William K. Witherspoon and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kristen Bales handled the prosecution. The PSN program continues to focus on disrupting cycles of violence by prioritizing prosecution of high-risk offenders and supporting community-based prevention efforts. Mitchell’s sentencing underscores the federal government’s zero-tolerance stance on illegal firearm possession.

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