In the early morning hours of April 28, 2012, the life of 23-year-old Vincent Nicholas Brown was tragically cut short in Aiken, South Carolina. A Black/African American male, Brown was a 2007 graduate of Aiken High School where he was a member of the football team. He was pursuing a business degree at Augusta State University and had aspirations of becoming a police officer.
On that fateful night, Brown was with two other individuals at an apartment complex on Fairway Ridge in Aiken.
An argument erupted between Brown and 24-year-old Ryan Keith Doolittle. The verbal altercation escalated, leading to Doolittle allegedly firing multiple shots, one of which fatally wounded Brown.
Following the shooting, Doolittle fled the scene in a vehicle. However, a witness provided law enforcement with a detailed description of the suspect and his vehicle. This information allowed officers to quickly track Doolittle to a nearby house where he was found in bed and subsequently arrested.
Ryan Keith Doolittle was charged with the murder of Vincent Nicholas Brown. The Aiken County Coroner's Office scheduled an autopsy to determine the precise cause of death. Family and friends mourned the loss of a young man they remembered as happy, funny, and wise, with a bright future ahead of him. His funeral services were held at Zion Fair Baptist Church in Aiken, with his burial at Smyrna Baptist Church Cemetery in Springfield.
