In the early morning hours of December 19, 2020, a dispute that began inside the Motor City Market convenience store on Fairfield Road in Columbia, South Carolina ended with two men fatally shot in the parking lot. Curtis Dinkins, 37, and Corey Smith, 41, were both struck by gunfire shortly after an argument inside the 24-hour store; Smith was pronounced dead at the scene and Dinkins was taken to a hospital where he later died. Both men sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Two other occupants of the vehicle the victims reached were not physically harmed.

Richland County investigators identified James Jamar Toatley as the suspect and described him as armed and dangerous while a manhunt was underway. Authorities later arrested a woman, Bria Kierra Ruffin, charging her with accessory after the fact to murder for allegedly assisting Toatley during the search. Video and ShotSpotter data were cited by investigators in the case.

If anyone has information about the shooting or about the events inside the store that night, please share what is known with the Richland County Sheriff’s Office.