Isaiah Joshua Allen was 23 when he was shot and killed outside on Longcreek Drive in northwest Columbia on the night of May 26, 2020. Deputies were called to reports of gunfire around 9:20 p.m.; they found Isaiah unresponsive on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The coroner ruled his death due to multiple gunshot wounds and the shooting was classified as a homicide.

Investigators said several people had been outside when the gunfire began and released surveillance images of two men described as possible witnesses, asking the public for help; tips to Midlands Crime Stoppers were solicited. Less than a month later, on June 22, 2020, authorities announced the arrest in New Jersey of 23-year-old Jamil Lonnell Thompson Jr. in connection with the shooting. Records later show a conviction and prison sentence tied to the case.

Isaiah’s family remembered him as devoted to family, a published poet and the youngest son whose determination showed in earning a GED in 2016. If anyone knew Isaiah, was in the St. Andrews area that night, or has information about the shooting, please come forward.