Blake Austin McGrath, 23, was fatally shot in the upper body on January 14, 2025, at the Colony Apartments on Bailey Street in Columbia, South Carolina. Columbia Police responded to ShotSpotter alerts around 6:53 p.m. and emergency medical services pronounced McGrath dead at the scene. The shooting followed a violent confrontation between McGrath and 29-year-old William Jiles.

Police say a second man arrived at a local hospital with a gunshot wound and was identified as the alleged shooter. After his release from the hospital, William Jiles was taken into custody and charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime; he was booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. Residents had voiced safety concerns after another shooting at the complex a day earlier.

McGrath was from Myrtle Beach and had a prior arrest in 2021 in Lexington County on charges including armed robbery, kidnapping, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Does anyone have information about what happened at the Colony Apartments that evening or knew either man involved?