In the early hours of Friday, January 26, 2018, 38-year-old Edward Nathaniel Walker was shot once in the torso after an altercation at an apartment complex on Platt Springs Road in West Columbia. Walker managed to leave the apartment but collapsed and died behind the building; he lay there for up to two hours before law enforcement was notified around 10:30 a.m. The shooting was described by police as an isolated event.

Investigators arrested 21-year-old Levette Omega Gladden of North Charleston and charged him with Walker’s murder. The case went to a week-long bench trial in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, where prosecutors argued malice played a role. Gladden was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison; the court noted the disposition as part of efforts to clear a backlog of pending cases.

Walker was a father of two sons and is survived by his parents and several siblings; his family said they were profoundly shocked and grieved by his violent death. If anyone has information about what happened that morning or knew Walker, please share what you know.