On a tragic Sunday morning, December 12, 2021, the life of 45-year-old Joyel T. Snell was cut short by an act of gun violence in Columbia, South Carolina. Snell, a woman from Fort Myers, Florida, was leaving a bar on Fairfield Road when she was struck by gunfire in the upper body. Authorities later described her as an innocent bystander in the incident.
She was rushed to a local hospital but ultimately succumbed to her injuries.
The investigation into Snell's death led to the arrests of two men the following month. Malcolm Clinton, 26, and James Alterique White, 23, were both charged with her murder. According to the Richland County Sheriff's Department, Clinton and White were seen entering the bar, returning to the parking lot, and getting into a vehicle. As the vehicle was leaving, shots were fired, tragically hitting Snell.
Further investigation revealed that at the time of the shooting, James Alterique White was out on bond for several previous charges, including an earlier club shooting. He was also charged with removing his electronic monitoring device. Both Clinton and White were booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
