Nicholas E. Bonepart, 32, was shot and killed in Columbia, South Carolina in the early morning hours of August 5, 2023. Officers responding to a ShotSpotter alert found him inside a vehicle in the 2100 block of Waverly Street, across from Benedict College’s Charles W. Johnson Stadium, with a fatal gunshot wound. The Richland County Coroner identified Bonepart as the homicide victim.

Police say the shooting occurred during a narcotics transaction that escalated into an attempted armed robbery rather than being a random act. Columbia Police, working with the U.S. Marshals Service’s Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, identified and arrested a suspect. Johnny Fletcher Jr., 45, was taken into custody and booked on charges of murder, attempted armed robbery, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

If anyone witnessed activity on Waverly Street that morning or has information about the narcotics transaction or the individuals involved, please share what is known with investigators.