Edward E. Willis, 50, was found dead inside a home on the 5500 block of Randall Avenue in Columbia, South Carolina, in the early morning hours of August 2, 2025. Emergency medical personnel discovered that his death was not from natural causes, and the Columbia Police Department later determined he had been fatally shot.

Investigators believe the shooting was not random but an isolated incident involving people who knew one another. The motive remains under investigation. On the same day Willis’s body was found, police arrested 42-year-old Marion Oates Jr., who was charged with murder, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime and booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

If anyone saw unusual activity on Randall Avenue that night or has information about Willis’s relationships or the events leading up to August 2, please share what is known with the Columbia Police Department.