On a summer day in July 2021, the life of 24-year-old Ravin Louis Smalls Jr., a Black male from Johns Island, South Carolina, was tragically cut short. On July 20th, Smalls and another individual, Taiwan Green, were discovered deceased in a shed on Bethlehem Court. The Charleston County Coroner's Office confirmed that both men had sustained fatal gunshot wounds in what was determined to be a double homicide.
The violent nature of their deaths sent shockwaves through the community and left their families searching for answers.
The investigation into the double homicide led to the apprehension of multiple suspects. The first arrest occurred on September 3, 2021, when William Nathaniel Green Jr. was taken into custody in connection with the shooting. Subsequently, the Charleston Police Department, with assistance from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office, apprehended two more individuals. Joshua Cromwell, 21 years old at the time, was charged with two counts of murder and one count of robbery. A third suspect, 20-year-old Keyshawn McFarlane, faced charges of two counts of murder, one count of robbery, and one count of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. All suspects were booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center.
In the wake of this tragedy, the family of Ravin Louis Smalls, Jr. held a celebration of his life on July 27, 2021, at Grace Cathedral Church in Hollywood, South Carolina. Friends and family gathered to remember a young man whose life was violently taken. He was laid to rest at Promiseland R.E. Church on Johns Island. Ravin was survived by his mother, step-mother, fiancée, step-son, and numerous siblings and other relatives.
