Montell Bell, a 47-year-old Black man, was fatally shot on July 7, 2024, in Ehrhardt, South Carolina. Around 3:20 p.m. that Sunday, gunfire was reported and first responders found a vehicle that had crashed into a tree on Preston Street. Inside were Bell and a woman, both suffering gunshot wounds.

Bell was transported to Prisma Health Richland in Columbia but died of his injuries; an autopsy was scheduled. The woman survived with injuries but her name has not been released. The Ehrhardt Police Department and the Bamberg County Coroner’s Office opened an investigation, but as of the latest reports no suspects have been publicly identified and no arrests announced. Motive and circumstances leading to the shooting have not been disclosed.

If anyone witnessed the crash or the shooting on Preston Street that afternoon, or has information about what happened to Montell Bell and the injured woman, please share what you know with authorities.