Kalieah Mone Green was a 20-year-old Black woman from Columbia, South Carolina, whose family remembered her as fearless and loving, a person with a smile that could "light up the world." Her godmother, Sierra Barnes, described her as "the life of every party." Her mother, Moneta Powers, said, "To know her was to love her." In her memory, her mother later created a college scholarship fund in her name for students at Morris College.
On the afternoon of May 25, 2021, Kalieah was in the
Sumter area with her boyfriend. They were in or near a car outside a home in the 4200 block of Hickory Road when another vehicle pulled up and someone inside began shooting. Kalieah was shot in the head. Her boyfriend was not injured and flagged down law enforcement for help, but when Sumter County sheriff's deputies arrived, they found Kalieah deceased at the scene.
The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office launched a homicide investigation, with Sheriff Anthony Dennis stating that investigators believed the shooting was gang-related. Within a month, the investigation led to the identification of three suspects. On June 24, 2021, authorities announced the arrests of two men: 19-year-old Randy Boston III and 20-year-old Kavonta Tylik Choice. Boston was charged with murder and attempted murder, and Choice was charged with accessory to murder after the fact. Both men were held at the Sumter County Detention Center after being denied bond.
At the same time, deputies announced they were searching for a third suspect, 24-year-old Juwone D'Angelo Kelley-Jay, who they considered armed and dangerous. An arrest warrant was issued for him on charges of murder, attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and discharging a firearm into a vehicle. On June 29, 2021, Kelley-Jay turned himself in to the sheriff's office and was taken into custody without incident.
Sheriff Dennis described the final arrest as "bittersweet because Kalieah Green’s family is still grieving her loss." He added, "While I’m glad the shooting suspect is off the streets, I am disturbed at the amount of young lives that have been cut short because of this senseless act." As of April 2022, the charges against all three men were still pending in the court system, with no trial, verdict, or plea having been publicly reported.
