On the evening of February 17, 2018, Cisco Vandelly Knightner Jr., a 17-year-old Black male, was shot and killed at a residence on Benedict Street in Columbia, South Carolina. Knightner had been with friends playing a PlayStation 4 basketball game when a petty argument escalated into a physical confrontation shortly after midnight. During the dispute a 16-year-old male, described by Knightner’s family as a lifelong friend, produced a firearm and shot Knightner in the head. Knightner was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead.

The 16-year-old turned himself in and was arrested by the Columbia Police Department on charges of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime; his name was withheld because of his age. Investigators recovered the firearm and indicated the shooting appeared to have arisen from a trivial dispute rather than a premeditated act, leaving the family, including Knightner’s younger sister Faith, coping with the loss.

If anyone was at the gathering or has information about what led to the confrontation, please come forward.