On a late Saturday night in September 2022, a drive through Lexington County, South Carolina, turned fatal for Harold Lord Peak III, a 22-year-old Black man from Columbia. He was a passenger in a car being driven by his brother on Princeton Road, between Ramblin Road and Edmund Highway, when their vehicle was suddenly struck by gunfire. Harold was hit by multiple gunshots and died at the scene.
His brother was also wounded in the shooting but survived after being treated at a local hospital.
The South Congaree Police Department was notified about a car on Edmund Highway with two people inside who appeared to have been shot. When Lexington County Sheriff's deputies spoke with the surviving brother, he was unable to provide a description of the other vehicle or the people who had shot at them. With few initial leads, investigators asked the public for any information that could help solve the case.
For nearly two years, the investigation continued. Then, in June 2024, authorities announced a significant breakthrough. On June 6, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from U.S. Marshals, arrested 25-year-old Chendric Jawan Brown and 26-year-old London Ja Kia Oliver in connection with the homicide. Brown was charged with murder and conspiracy, while Oliver was charged with conspiracy and accessory before the fact.
According to investigators, detectives determined that Oliver had led Brown and a third man, 24-year-old Ziyon Ta’hib McKnight, to the location where the brothers were. The suspects allegedly waited for Harold and his brother to leave and then ambushed them, shooting at their car as they drove by. Following their arrests, both Brown and Oliver were held in the Lexington County Detention Center after a magistrate judge denied them bond.
At the time of the first two arrests, authorities announced that Ziyon Ta’hib McKnight was wanted on charges of murder and conspiracy. U.S. Marshals had attempted to serve an arrest warrant on him on June 6 at a business in Columbia, but he was not apprehended. A week later, on June 13, 2024, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department announced that McKnight had been arrested. As of June 2024, all three suspects were in custody.
