COLUMBIA, SC — A woman stabbed a man in self-defense after he and another woman held her against her will in the Columbia area, according to Richland County deputies.
Gelanda Gailliard, 41, faces kidnapping and assault charges in connection with the incident, local outlets reported October 8 and 9. The wounded man was hospitalized in critical condition, according to the initial reporting.
Deputies responding to Parklane Road found the man with wounds to his upper body and detained two women while investigating, WIS reported.
Investigators said the man and Gailliard had held the other woman against her will. That woman stabbed the man, deputies said, describing her actions as self-defense.
ABC Columbia described the incident as a Thursday-morning stabbing. In its October 9 report, the outlet said Gailliard had been taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. WIS identified the assault charge as first-degree assault and battery.
The reports did not detail the alleged confinement or include a response from Gailliard or the wounded man. The self-defense assessment comes from investigators, and the charges against Gailliard remain allegations.
Timeline
Legal and safety breakdown
South Carolina’s Protection of Persons and Property Act sets out conditions for defensive force. Under Section 16-11-440(C), a person who is not engaged in unlawful activity and is attacked somewhere they have a right to be has no duty to retreat. Deadly force still requires a reasonable belief that it is necessary to prevent death, great bodily injury or a qualifying violent crime.
The statute also provides a separate presumption for certain forcible-entry and forcible-removal circumstances, subject to exceptions. The available account of the alleged confinement is too limited to determine whether those provisions apply here.
Section 16-11-450 allows standard investigative procedures following defensive force. Deputies’ description of the stabbing as self-defense does not establish that a court has issued an immunity ruling.
Safety Tip: If you can safely reach help after an assault or confinement, call emergency services, give your location, request medical assistance, and identify witnesses or nearby cameras for investigators.
