A domestic dispute in Forest Acres turned violent before dawn on Friday, ending with a 40-year-old Columbia man shot in the lower body and now facing criminal charges. Police say the shooting happened after the man assaulted a woman and then tried to attack her son, prompting a 20-year-old resident to open fire in what officers described as self-defense.
According to WLTX, Forest Acres police were called shortly after 5:30 a.m. on Friday to a shooting at a home in the 5400 block of Ransom Drive. Officers identified the man who was shot as Saban Burzic, a 40-year-old Columbia resident, who was taken to a hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to the lower body.
Police said Burzic assaulted a woman during a dispute and then tried to attack the woman's son. A 20-year-old resident at the home then shot Burzic, which police said was an act of self-defense. Burzic was subsequently charged with third-degree domestic violence and third-degree assault and battery, according to the same report. The 20-year-old resident who fired the shot has not been charged.
Police Chief Points to Danger of Domestic Violence Calls
Forest Acres Police Chief Donald W. Robinson said in a statement that domestic violence affects entire families and can escalate into dangerous, potentially life-threatening situations. “We take these incidents seriously, and our officers remain committed to protecting victims and holding individuals accountable for acts of violence,” Robinson said, per the station's report.
Under South Carolina law, assault and battery in the third degree is treated as a lesser-included offense tied to second-degree and first-degree assault and battery, assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, and attempted murder, according to the South Carolina Legislature's code of laws.
A Department Already Stretched Thin
The shooting lands against the backdrop of a busy year for Forest Acres officers. The department's 2026 annual report shows 8,082 dispatched calls for service in 2025 and 527 total assigned investigations, a workload that spans everything from traffic enforcement to violent crime. The same report lists Robinson as chief of police overseeing that caseload.
Forest Acres has seen domestic violence turn deadly before. In May, police responded to a welfare check at 3003 Barnes Springs Road and found a woman dead from an apparent gunshot wound, according to WACH. Police identified the victim as 53-year-old Annie Christinal Pushpanathan and the suspect as 67-year-old Kenneth Dwain Benton, both of Forest Acres; Benton surrendered within the hour, was hospitalized for a gunshot wound and died from his injuries two days later. Investigators said preliminary evidence indicated the case was likely a murder-suicide.
Officers in that earlier case had to force their way through a blocked door to discover the woman's body inside the home, WIS-TV reported, and hostage negotiators later made contact with Benton before he surrendered and was taken into custody.
Where to Find Help
People in immediate danger are urged to call 911. SisterCare operates a 24/7 crisis hotline for the Midlands at 803-765-9428 and serves Richland, Lexington, Fairfield, Kershaw and Newberry counties, providing emergency shelter, counseling, court advocacy and safety planning at no cost. The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 800-799-7233, and the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, while it does not provide direct services itself, maintains a directory to help residents find local survivor programs and recommends using a private or incognito browser window when searching for help online.
