On July 18, 2026, 31-year-old Matthew Matt Konwinski of Lexington was shot and killed around 4 p.m. on a downtown Columbia street near Hampton and Assembly Streets. Authorities described the shooting as the result of an ongoing dispute that escalated into fatal violence; Konwinski was pronounced dead at the scene by the Richland County Coroner’s Office.

Columbia Police arrested 28-year-old Xavier T. Bethea shortly after the incident. Bethea, whose address was listed as a local homeless shelter, was booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and charged with voluntary manslaughter and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. Law enforcement characterized the episode as an isolated event stemming from a prior conflict between the two men.

If anyone knew Matthew Konwinski or witnessed the events near Hampton and Assembly Streets that afternoon, please share what you remember.