In the late hours of a November evening in Columbia, South Carolina, Ricardo Delon Tucker, a 34-year-old male, was fatally shot in what law enforcement described as a 'cold-blooded' and 'execution-style' killing. The incident occurred on November 16, 2022, in the parking lot of Club Rose Gold on Broad River Road. Surveillance footage from the scene captured the harrowing moments as Tucker was walking through the parking lot.
A silver sedan is seen on the video, from which the driver emerges and, in one swift motion, shoots Tucker multiple times. The assailant then calmly approached Tucker's prone body and fired twice more before driving away. Emergency medical services were dispatched to the scene, but Tucker was pronounced dead from his injuries.
The investigation into the targeted slaying led authorities to identify Mikal Keller, then 36, as the primary suspect. Described as not being from Columbia, Keller was apprehended by the Richland County Sheriff's Department Fugitive Team on December 15, 2022. He was discovered in an apartment with an assault-style rifle and a pistol. His arrest was the result of a combination of tips from the community and dedicated police work. While a clear motive for the killing was not immediately established, the sheriff stated that Keller was in Columbia with the intent to commit murder.
At the time of his arrest for Tucker's murder, Keller was already a wanted man in connection with a homicide in Elkton, Maryland. In that case, he was accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend's home in August 2022 and fatally shooting a man he found inside. Following his capture in South Carolina, Keller was charged with the murder of Ricardo Delon Tucker and was held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. Authorities in Maryland also planned to pursue his extradition to face charges for the earlier homicide.
