On July 31, 2018, in the early morning hours, Cole Vincent Smith, 22, was shot in the head during what police described as a home invasion at his residence on Bradham Road on James Island, Charleston, South Carolina. Officers arrived shortly before 3 a.m. and found Smith in a bedroom; he was taken to the Medical University of South Carolina but died of his injuries.

Reports say Smith was defending his girlfriend when he was shot. The Charleston Police Department treated the incident as a homicide, deployed K-9 units and canvassed the area, but released no detailed suspect descriptions or motive immediately following the shooting. No arrests were made at the scene.

If anyone has information about the home invasion or the people involved, please come forward to help Cole’s family obtain answers.