Eric T. Washington was 17 and a senior at C.A. Johnson High School when he was shot and killed in the early evening of Sunday, March 15, 2015, in Columbia, South Carolina. A dispute from earlier that day over a basketball game brought him to T.S. Martin Park off Two Notch Road around 7:30 p.m. to try to resolve the matter. A second fight broke out and multiple gunshots were fired; Washington was struck in the head while seeking cover and later died at a local hospital.

Columbia police identified two suspects. One, Jerimiah Pough, was arrested and charged with murder; authorities said Pough hadn’t been involved in the initial fight but attended the later confrontation armed with a 9mm pistol. Ballistics at the scene recovered casings from a 9mm and a .40-caliber firearm, and the fatal wound was caused by a .40-caliber bullet. Pough was tried in August 2017 and acquitted of murder after a five-day trial; he did admit to a weapons charge. No further details about the second suspect were provided.

Washington was also a member of the South Carolina Army National Guard and planned to continue his military career after graduating in May. Anyone with information about the shooting or the second suspect is asked to come forward.