In the early morning hours of Sunday, February 17, 2019, the life of 21-year-old Darold Kevin Dantzler, II, a Black/African American male, was tragically cut short. The fatal incident occurred at a party held at the Prince Hall Grand Masonic Lodge on Gervais Street in Columbia, South Carolina. The event, a celebration of the 'Metro's Most Wanted Motorcycle Club's' tenth anniversary, was attended by approximately 400 guests, with some traveling from out-of-town to be there.
Witnesses
reported that a heated argument broke out between at least two groups of people moments before gunshots rang out shortly after 12:30 a.m. In the ensuing chaos, Dantzler suffered gunshot wounds to his upper body. A Columbia Police Department officer who was among the first to respond performed CPR on Dantzler, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead at the scene by the Richland County Coroner. Two other men were also injured in the shooting; a 29-year-old was shot in the forearm, and a 37-year-old was wounded in the thigh, though their injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Despite the large number of potential witnesses, the investigation into Dantzler's murder has been met with challenges. Investigators from the Columbia Police Department's Violent Crimes Against Persons Unit have been actively working the case, but have noted that many party attendees were uncooperative in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Crime scene investigators collected over thirty shell casings from two different firearms, indicating that multiple shooters may have been involved.
The Columbia Police Department has repeatedly appealed to the public for information, encouraging anyone with knowledge of the shooting, including those who may have taken videos or pictures at the party, to come forward. A cash reward has been offered for tips that lead to an arrest. However, to date, no arrests have been made in connection with the murder of Darold Dantzler, and no suspects have been publicly identified. His case remains an unsolved homicide, leaving a family to mourn and a community still seeking justice for a life taken too soon.
