In the summer of 2024, a burst of gunfire shattered the evening quiet in a Columbia, South Carolina neighborhood, leaving two young men dead and another wounded. Dominic Goodwin, a 22-year-old male, was fatally shot on the night of July 9th. The tragic incident unfolded in the 300 block of Hickory Ridge Drive, a residential area nestled between Garners Ferry Road and Leesburg Road.
Richland County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the scene around 10 p.m.
following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered a vehicle that had come to rest in a yard. Inside, they found Goodwin and another 22-year-old Columbia resident, Xavier J. Hopkins, both unresponsive. Despite the immediate response from EMS and the Columbia Fire Department, both men were pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot wounds. The violence of the encounter was evident from the multiple shell casings found scattered in the roadway.
The investigation into the double homicide revealed a third victim who had been shot multiple times inside a nearby home. This individual was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The sheriff's department described the event as a possible drive-by shooting and began the arduous task of piecing together the events that led to the bloodshed.
A significant breakthrough in the case came just eight days later when a 16-year-old suspect was apprehended by sheriff's deputies in Atlanta, Georgia. The teen was subsequently charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott indicated that the motive likely stemmed from a vendetta between the shooter and the victims. While an arrest has been made, the investigation continues as authorities explore the possibility of additional suspects.
