In the summer of 2015, the life of 14-year-old Najeer Raborn Buggs was tragically cut short on a street in Columbia, South Carolina. On the evening of July 3rd, Najeer, a Black male, was walking home with his cousin after a game of basketball at a local park. As they made their way down Grand Street, a light-colored vehicle approached, and gunfire erupted from the driver's side window.
Both boys ran for safety, but Najeer was struck by a bullet in his upper body and collapsed a short distance away. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The initial investigation yielded few immediate leads, leaving Najeer's family and the community searching for answers. For over three years, the case remained a painful open wound. Investigators meticulously pieced together evidence, including witness descriptions of the vehicle and surveillance footage from a nearby home security camera. A crucial piece of evidence, a. 40 caliber shell casing found at the scene, would eventually be the key to breaking the case.
In November 2018, a significant breakthrough was announced. Columbia Police charged 28-year-old Leonard Mickens with the murder of Najeer Buggs. The shell casing from the scene of Najeer's death was found to have Mickens' DNA on it. This forensic link provided the concrete evidence needed to move forward with prosecution. Mickens was already in custody at the Lexington County Detention Center on a federal gun charge at the time the murder charges were brought against him.
Further investigation revealed that Mickens was a 'walking crime spree,' a menace to the community with connections to a string of violent crimes. Ballistic testing confirmed that the gun used to kill Najeer was also linked to at least six other crimes, including another murder and an attempted murder. In addition to murder, Mickens faced charges of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. The arrest brought a sense of closure to Najeer's grieving family, who had waited patiently for justice. His mother expressed a mixture of pain and relief, stating that her son could finally rest.
