Community leaders stand in solidarity to denounce violence

Community leaders led by the NAACP, including church leaders and local law enforcement officials, stood in solidarity outside Mount Zion AME Church on Tuesday to denounce violence in the community, in response to Friday's shooting incident in which police officers were allegedly targeted.

Those attending included Blanding Watson, Lancaster County chapter president of the NAACP; Reverend Patricia McAllister of Mount Zion AME; the Reverend Charles Deutsch, pastor for Ironville United Methodist Church and head of the Columbia ministerium; Columbia Borough Police Chief Jack Brommer, and Officers Brent Keyser and Troy Engle.

Columbia woman charged with three counts of retail theft

Rhonda Lynn Diehl

Rhonda Lynn Diehl, 44, of Columbia was charged with three counts of retail theft after several recent incidents at Musser's Market in Columbia. 

On Monday, July 25, 2016, Diehl took items from the store and went out through a cashier lane that was not opened. Police identified her through surveillance footage. On Wednesday, July 27, police were called back to Musser's for another retail theft involving the same person. Diehl fled from the store by going out the entrance as someone entered the store prior to police arrival. On July 28, Diehl had sixteen items in her purse and attempted to apply for a job. A source tells the Spy that store personnel set up a fake job interview to detain her until police arrived. 

Diehl was picked up by police that day in the store and was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Miles Bixler.

NAACP in Columbia to denounce violence

Community leaders led by the NAACP - including church leaders and law enforcement officials - stood in solidarity outside a Columbia church on Tuesday to denounce violence in their community, particularly violence against police.

MORE HERE:
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Columbia police reach out to community

Columbia Borough Police reach out to the community in this LNP article:

LINK

Shooting incident makes it to Police Magazine

News of last Friday's shooting incident made it into policemag.com, an online law enforcement publication.

GO HERE:
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Friends and family seek answers on shooting

MORE:
http://lancasteronline.com/insider/friends-family-seek-answers-on-why-columbia-teenagers-shot-at/article_402660b8-5845-11e6-a31f-cf7630330579.html

The article also states:

"In August 2015, he was involved in afight over a Confederate flag at Sixth and Locust streets. Rentas removed a flag from the back of a truck, his mother confirmed Monday afternoon."

(Actually, the incident occurred at Sixth and Walnut. Columbia Spy first made the connection between the two incidents in a previous article.)

NAACP Statement On The Shooting Of Police Officers In Columbia, Pennsylvania

August 01, 2016

Baltimore, MD -Today, NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks released the following statement after the arrest of Marquell Rentas and Trenton Nace in the non-fatal shooting of four police officers in Columbia, Pennsylvania.

'Yet again as a nation we are an unwilling witness to alleged violence against the police. While much is yet unknown in the circumstances of the arrests of Marquell Rentas and Trenton Nace, the NAACP is profoundly concerned about hostile actions against police and committed to nonviolent means of change.

'The NAACP is committed to ending moments such as this by steadfastly condemning brutal violence against the police and police misconduct. Neither form of violence is an excuse for the other. Such realities go against the values of America and the values of the NAACP.

'The events in Columbia this weekend are disheartening, but this particular incident creates an opportunity to improve police-community relations, thankfully without having to mourn the loss of life. We commend the efforts of the Lancaster County NAACP and local law enforcement, and echo their call for community dialogue in this time of turmoil. While we gather further details on the two teenagers charged we offer our support to all citizens of Columbia, Pennsylvania.