In the early hours of a February morning, a dispute outside the Cockpit Bar & Grill on Berryhill Road in Columbia, South Carolina, turned deadly, claiming the life of 31-year-old Brandon E. Ratliff. On that Sunday, February 2, 2014, Ratliff, a resident of Brook Pines Drive, was attempting to act as a peacemaker, mediating a confrontation in the parking lot of the establishment.
It was during his attempt to de-escalate the situation that he was tragically struck by a single bullet to his upper torso. After being shot, Ratliff was transported in a private vehicle to Lexington Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy later confirmed that the cause of death was a homicide, resulting from the gunshot wound that lacerated his heart.
The investigation into the shooting led authorities to identify Gregory L. Brooks, then 23 years old, as the individual responsible for firing the fatal shot. Witnesses reported that Brooks fired approximately 10 shots in the area during the dispute. Following the incident, Brooks took measures to alter his appearance, including cutting his hair and changing his phone number, in an effort to evade capture. His girlfriend was also implicated and faced charges for attempting to mislead investigators about his whereabouts at the time of the shooting. Brooks then fled the state and was apprehended by law enforcement in New Jersey in April of 2014.
After his apprehension and return to South Carolina, Gregory L. Brooks faced legal proceedings for his role in Brandon Ratliff's death. In November 2016, a Lexington County jury found Brooks guilty of murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. Subsequently, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his crimes.
