On the morning of May 3, 2008, Deputy Sheriff William Howell Jr., 46, was fatally shot while responding to a domestic disturbance on Boyer Road in Orangeburg County, South Carolina. Howell, a Black/African American corporal with 16 years in law enforcement and three years at the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office, had a long career that included service with the Berkeley County Detention Center, Moncks Corner Police Department, the South Carolina Department of Corrections, the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, and the Jamestown Police.

At approximately 1:30 a.m. he was assisting a woman in retrieving belongings from a residence when a man identified as Derrick Buras opened fire with a shotgun, striking Howell in the neck. Buras, who was out on bond on an earlier charge of assault and battery with intent to kill, was killed at the scene after being run over by a car driven by his wife as he attempted to flee. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division took over the investigation. No arrests were made in connection with Deputy Howell’s murder due to the suspect’s death.

Howell was survived by his wife and four sons; his name is engraved on the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. Does anyone have memories of Deputy Howell or information about the night that could shed more light on what happened?