In the late afternoon of May 18, 2021, a burst of gunfire erupted in Darlington, South Carolina, shattering the day's calm. When the chaos subsided, 24-year-old Rahiem Jaquan Fortune, a Black male, was found fatally wounded. The violence had played out as a rolling gun battle between two vehicles near West Broad and Milling streets. Fortune's car ultimately came to a stop in a parking lot on Washington Street, close to the Washington Square Apartments, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The Darlington County Coroner later confirmed that his death was a direct result of the shootout.
The Darlington Police Department, with assistance from the State Law Enforcement Division, launched an investigation into the brazen daylight shooting. Their efforts led to the arrest of one individual in connection with the incident. Nicholas Dishawn Johnson was taken into custody and charged with accessory after the fact to a felony. At the time of his arrest, it was noted that Johnson had a prior criminal history, including previous charges for serious violent crimes.
Despite the charge against Johnson, the specifics of his involvement in the events leading to Fortune's death were not publicly detailed. His charge as an 'accessory' suggests a role in assisting the primary perpetrator after the crime was committed, rather than being the individual who fired the fatal shots. Online sources available do not provide information on any other arrests made in direct connection with the murder of Rahiem Jaquan Fortune, nor do they name any other suspects who may have been in the second vehicle involved in the gun battle. The case has been marked by a lack of public updates regarding the pursuit, identification, or prosecution of the individual or individuals directly responsible for his death. In a turn of events, Nicholas Dishawn Johnson, the only person publicly charged in connection to the case, died in June of 2023. The circumstances of his death have not been widely reported. To date, the full story of who fired the shots that killed Rahiem Jaquan Fortune and the ultimate resolution of the investigation remain untold in the public record.
