On the morning of August 7, 2019, 77-year-old Alphonso Rowe was shot in a drive-by while sitting on his porch on Putnam Street in Columbia, South Carolina. The shooting occurred about 11:15 a.m.; Rowe was struck in the lower body, taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. Investigators said they believe Rowe was not the intended target.

Police attention quickly turned to a family connection: Devin Rowe, then 18 and the victim’s son and relative, was described as a person of interest who might have information. Officers said a prior shots-fired call had been made to the same residence and a car with bullet holes sat in the driveway on the day Alphonso was killed. Devin was arrested days later on outstanding burglary and petty larceny warrants and booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, but no murder charges have been filed.

The case remains unsolved. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact the Columbia Police Department.