In the late hours of an August evening in Aiken, South Carolina, the life of 31-year-old Earnest S. Croft was brought to a violent end. On Wednesday, August 18, 2021, officers on patrol responded to a call of shots fired and discovered Croft's body in the driveway of a residence on Aldrich Street. He had sustained at least one gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy was scheduled to be performed to determine the exact cause of death.
The investigation into the shooting death of the Aiken man quickly moved forward, and by the end of the month, authorities had identified two suspects. Dontell Daniel Harling, 19 at the time, was arrested and charged with murder and weapon possession. The Aiken Department of Public Safety also sought 18-year-old Antonio Jerome Wise on a murder charge. Investigators believed a third individual was involved in the incident but had not yet been able to identify them.
Wise remained at large for several months, but he was eventually captured in May 2022 by the Richland County Sheriff's Department and transported back to Aiken County. Upon his return, he was served with warrants for murder, discharging a firearm into a dwelling, and weapon possession. While two men were in custody, the identity of the third suspect connected to Earnest Croft's death remained unknown as the investigation continued.
