In the early morning hours of July 22, 2023, a violent encounter in the parking lot of a Waffle House in Radcliff, Kentucky, claimed the life of 30-year-old Carlos Bello. Bello, a resident of Radcliff, and another man, 19-year-old Shane Estrada of Vine Grove, were found shot to death at approximately 4:00 a.m. in the restaurant's parking lot on South Dixie Boulevard.
The investigation into the double homicide led police to two suspects.
The first, 33-year-old Rodshad Akeem Bowser-Highsmith of Elizabethtown, was arrested just two days after the shooting. Surveillance footage from the Waffle House reportedly captured Bowser-Highsmith and another individual discussing a plan to steal a firearm from one of the victims. Authorities stated that Bowser-Highsmith admitted to his involvement in the incident and to firing several shots into a vehicle as it was leaving the parking lot, striking and killing both Bello and Estrada.
A second suspect, 25-year-old Darien Khalil McGary of Radcliff, was arrested in late September 2023. He faces charges of complicity to murder and complicity to robbery for his alleged role in the events that led to the deaths of Bello and Estrada. According to court records, both McGary and Bowser-Highsmith were seen and heard on surveillance video at the Waffle House planning to take a firearm from one of the victims. The robbery escalated, resulting in the fatal shootings.
Both Bowser-Highsmith and McGary have been charged with two counts of murder and first-degree robbery. The case against the two men is ongoing, with court proceedings and discussions of mediation taking place. The Radcliff community was left to mourn the loss of two young men in a senseless act of violence.
