On a Sunday afternoon in September 2018, 23-year-old James Antheny McDowell and his nearly two-year-old son Tyreen McDowell were shot inside their apartment on Beatty Downs Road in the St. Andrews area of Columbia, South Carolina. The shooting occurred about 1 p.m. Neighbors reported hearing gunshots and cries for help. Deputies found James outside with gunshot wounds; he was taken to a hospital and later died. Tyreen was found dead inside the apartment.

Investigators said there were no signs of forced entry and believe the killings were not random, indicating McDowell probably knew his attackers. Sheriff Leon Lott described the motive as a drug-related robbery that escalated into deadly violence. Within a couple of months, three people were arrested and charged in connection with the double homicide: Traevon Ray, Markelyis Gibson, and DyQuan King; Gibson and King faced additional weapons charges. Authorities also tied King to a separate fatal shooting days earlier that involved an innocent bystander.

If anyone knew James, Tyreen, their routines, or has information about the September 2018 attack, please come forward.