Suspect identified in Waffle House shooting

COLUMBIA — Columbia police have identified the man they believe responsible for a Thursday night shooting at Waffle House.

There is a warrant for the arrest of Columbia resident Anthony J. Tunstall. He is charged with one count of an unlawful use of a weapon, a class B felony. His bond is set at $100,000. Another suspect has been positively identified, but police have not obtained a warrant, said Officer Jessie Haden.

The police arrived at a Vandiver Drive Waffle House after receiving a 2 a.m. call that shots were fired into a group of people. No one was shot, Haden said. Shortly after, police received a call saying that a vehicle struck by a bullet, and its occupants, had moved to a nearby IHOP.

Haden called the investigation “frustrating.” She said the Police Department is sifting through the accounts of witnesses that might have been at the scene of the crime.

Tunstall is thought to have left Waffle House as a passenger in a white 2001 Honda Accord. He last lived at 1303 Seattle Slew Drive in Columbia. He is 20 years old, about 5 feet, 6 inches and 130 pounds.

Anyone with information about the shooting or Tunstall’s location should call Crime Stoppers at 875-TIPS or the police department at 874-7652.