Jarrod Brent Howard, a 19-year-old male, found his life tragically cut short on a Friday afternoon in October 2014. The incident, which occurred in Charleston, South Carolina, was the result of a fatal shooting. Howard, a recent graduate of Hanahan High School, was remembered for his ever-present smile and his love for music and the Carolina Gamecocks.
The events that led to his untimely death unfolded in the back seat of a parked car near the intersection of Percy and Bogard streets.
What began as a drug transaction quickly escalated into a violent encounter. In the ensuing struggle, Jarrod Brent Howard was shot and killed. The Charleston Police Department responded to the scene, and an investigation into the homicide was launched.
Within a day of the shooting, authorities made two arrests in connection with the murder. The suspects were identified as Ahshaad Mykiel Owens and Phillip Daniel Jewell II. Both men were taken into custody and faced charges for their alleged involvement in the death of Jarrod Howard. The investigation suggested that the fatal shooting was the result of a drug deal that had gone wrong.
Ahshaad Mykiel Owens stood trial for his role in the killing. His defense claimed that the shooting was an accident that occurred while he was wrestling a gun away from Howard's friend. However, the jury convicted Owens of murder, armed robbery, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. He later appealed his conviction, arguing that the jury had been improperly instructed on the defense of accident. The South Carolina Court of Appeals and the state's Supreme Court ultimately upheld his convictions, affirming the jury's verdict. The legal outcome for the second suspect, Phillip Jewell II, is not publicly documented.
