In the early morning hours of June 21, 2025, 18-year-old Rakel Devon Howard, a Black male, was found in the backyard of a residence on Oak Avenue in Blackville, South Carolina, suffering from an apparently fatal gunshot wound. Officers first responded to reports of gunfire near Davis Street and Oak Avenue around 2:00 a.m.; after an initial search of Davis Street yielded no evidence, a second 911 call led them to Oak Avenue where first responders pronounced Rakel dead at the scene. The Barnwell County Coroner’s Office later confirmed his identity.

The Blackville Police Department, aided by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, opened a homicide investigation and processed the scene for evidence. The case struggled to advance in the months afterward; by late September authorities announced a cash reward for information leading to identification, arrest, and conviction. No arrests or publicly named suspects have been reported. Rakel’s family remembers him as kind and compassionate and has urged anyone with information to come forward.

If anyone knew Rakel or witnessed activity near Oak Avenue the night of June 21, what might help investigators move this case forward?