Luz Rentas was overwhelmed as she sat on the stoop of her Columbia home.

Every five minutes, a new reporter was at her door.

A third-shift worker, she wasn't able to sleep.

Her son, Marquell Rentas, 17, of the 200 block of Walnut Street, and her nephew, Trenton Michael Nace, 18, of the 100 block of Lancaster Ave., are now in police custody, accused of firing a scoped rifle at police officers early Friday morning, causing chaos near Mount Bethel Cemetery off Locust Street.

No one was struck and the teenagers were arrested at a nearby home.

Both were arraigned Saturday morning on charges of attempted homicide of a law-enforcement officer, aggravated assault, assault of a law-enforcement officer and a slew of related charges.

Rentas admitted to firing the gun with the intention of hitting police officers, according to a police affidavit.

“I don't know why he did it,” Luz Rentas said. “I wish I knew.”

Instead of speaking further, Rentas offered a prepared statement.

In the statement, she placed blame on the Black Lives Matter movement and defined Rentas and Nace as “punk kids following orders of an irresponsible organization.”

“They are in jail for doing what Black Lives Matters wanted them to do, shoot at Cops,” the statement reads. “Where is Black Lives Matters now? Are they gonna help get them out of jail or help pay for lawyers?”

In the statement, Rentas said they were “very sorry” for the event and “extremely thankful” that no one was injured. She also begged “the courts and (District Attorney Craig) Stedman for mercy.”

When asked about Marquell Rentas' connection to the Black Lives Matter movement, Luz Rentas said she did not know. It was something he said at the scene, she said.

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Local statement

Kevin Ressler, a co-organizer of the local Black Lives Matter chapter, said he would never participate in a group that uses violence to solve societal problems.

“I and those of us who seek equitable justice reject violence against police officers unequivocally. Speaking for myself and Black Lives Matter 717, we do not support extrajudicial violence against law enforcement or by law enforcement,” Ressler wrote in an email.

The local chapter of the NAACP is planning a press conference at noon today at the Mount Zion A.M.E. Church, 222 S. 5th St., Columbia.

Marquell Rentas, who is black, has not been a stranger to race issues.

In August 2015, he was involved in a fight over a Confederate flag at Sixth and Locust streets. Rentas removed a flag from the back of a truck, his mother confirmed Monday afternoon. A fight between 10 or 15 people followed, Columbia police chief Jack Brommer said at the time.

On Monday, a friend of the teenagers was surprised that his friends would be accused of the shooting.

“I honestly don't know why they would. I don't know what was going through their mind at the time. In my opinion, that's not really them,” said David Duke, 21, of Lancaster, who grew up with Rentas and Nace in Columbia.

Duke described them as “funny guys” who liked to pull pranks on people.

“I couldn't believe it, and then I read about it and I believed it. It really hurt me because I know they can do better than that,” Duke said.

On Friday, Duke posted on Facebook a picture featuring himself, Rentas and Nace with the caption “Free my brothers man.” A Facebook group known as the Realist People of Lancaster initially drew attention to the post, which featured some anti-police rhetoric in the comments.

Duke said he is not condoning the actions of Rentas and Nace.

“I know they made a bad decision, but at the end of the day they are still my friends,” Duke said. “Do I think they should get 25 to life? No, because they are only 18. Everybody makes mistakes and everybody does deserve a second chance.”