On the late afternoon of Monday, September 9, 2024, a burst of gunfire at the Alight Apartments on Alexander Road in Cayce, South Carolina, left 22-year-old Jalen Latrell Allen dead. Allen, a Columbia resident found inside a vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body, was transported to a local hospital but did not survive. An autopsy was scheduled at the Medical University of South Carolina to officially determine cause of death.

The Cayce Police Department, with K-9 units and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s CSI unit, cordoned off the complex and searched the area; residents were temporarily required to show identification to enter. Investigators described the shooting as an isolated event and said they do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the community. No arrests have been announced, and police have not released information about a suspect or motive.

Jalen, known to family and friends as JJ.2x, was an entrepreneur and rap artist, a former Columbia High School student, and the father of two young sons. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Cayce Police Department.