Shortly before 2 a.m. on Sunday, September 21, 2025, a burst of gunfire on the 4300 block of Mellowood Drive in Columbia, South Carolina, left 34-year-old Ricky Joseph Bates dead. Deputies from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department responded after a ShotSpotter alert and found a man with an upper-body gunshot wound outside a residence and a second unresponsive man, Bates. Both were taken to a local hospital; Bates was pronounced dead and the other victim survived.

Investigators say the shooter or shooters had left before deputies arrived. Days later, authorities located and arrested 31-year-old Benjamin Hampton near Abbott Road; he was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime and booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

Bates’ family described him as a beloved son, brother and soon-to-be father, remembered for an infectious smile and a protective, loyal nature. Does anyone who knew Ricky or was in that neighborhood before or after the shooting have information to share?