On the final night of the year, a tragic event unfolded in Columbia, South Carolina, forever altering the lives of a local family. Marion Lamar Berry II, a 39-year-old man, was in his own yard on South Highland Forest Drive when his life was cut short. It was around 10:30 p.m. on December 31, 2018, when the fatal encounter occurred.
What began as a robbery escalated into a homicide, leaving the community in shock.
Berry sustained a gunshot wound to his upper body during the incident, an injury that proved to be fatal. The sad event marked a violent end to the year in Richland County.
In the wake of the shooting, law enforcement launched an investigation that quickly led to the identification of two suspects. Marquoise Mickel and Bryheem Oakman, both 21 years old at the time, were taken into custody. The Richland County Sheriff's Department announced that the motive behind the deadly shooting was a robbery that had taken a violent turn. Both Mickel and Oakman faced charges of murder and armed robbery in connection with Berry's death.
