KeMari SamarTrey Ford, an 18-year-old from Lexington, South Carolina, was fatally shot on April 4, 2026. Deputies responding shortly before 1:00 p.m. to an apartment complex in the 3500 block of Fernandina Road in the Columbia area of Lexington County found Ford outside with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene after deputies attempted life-saving measures.

Witnesses told detectives the shooting followed an argument between Ford and another man. Authorities identified 23-year-old Latif Shi’Yon Elijah Ross of Columbia as a suspect; Ross fled the scene but was arrested the next morning. He has been charged with murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and possession of a weapon by a person prohibited, and was denied bond. The investigation remains active and details about what sparked the argument have not been released.

If anyone had information about Ford’s movements that day, the people involved, or saw anything near Fernandina Road on April 4, please share what is known.