On the evening of July 3, 2015, 14-year-old Najeer Raborn Buggs was walking home in Columbia, South Carolina, with his cousin after playing basketball when a light-colored vehicle approached on Grand Street and gunfire came from the driver’s side window. Both boys ran; Najeer was struck in the upper body and collapsed a short distance away. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Early investigation produced few leads, but detectives collected witness descriptions and home security footage, and recovered a .40 caliber shell casing at the scene. In November 2018 Columbia police charged 28-year-old Leonard Mickens after the shell casing was found to carry his DNA. Mickens was already in custody on a federal gun charge when the murder charges were filed. Ballistic testing later linked the gun to at least six other violent incidents, including another murder and an attempted murder, and charges included murder, attempted murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Najeer’s family said the arrest brought them a mixture of pain and relief. If anyone has information about Najeer, the shooting on Grand Street, or the vehicle seen that night, please share what you know.