Terrell Bethel

A violent weekend in Columbia, South Carolina, just before the Christmas holiday in 2022, was marked by a string of unrelated shootings that left the community reeling. One of the lives lost during this period was that of Terrell L. Bethel, a 34-year-old Black man from Columbia. While few public details are available about his personal life, an obituary for his father, Lamont C. Bethel, who passed away in 2026, confirms Terrell was a son, and a gun violence memorial page notes his nickname was "1 Teezy."

In the pre-dawn hours of Saturday, December 17, 2022, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department received a call about a shooting. Deputies responded at approximately 3:45 a.m. to the 5000 block of Two Notch Road, an area situated between the Dentsville and Forest Acres neighborhoods. They found Terrell Bethel near the back of a restaurant and lounge at 5024 Two Notch Road, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Before emergency medical services arrived, deputies administered first aid, applying a chest seal to treat his deep puncture wounds.

Bethel was rushed by EMS to a local hospital, Prisma Health Richland, but he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival. The Richland County Coroner's Office later officially identified him as the victim. The shooting was one of three separate fatal shootings that occurred in Richland County within a 24-hour span that weekend. At the time, law enforcement noted that Bethel's death was the 29th fatal shooting investigated by the sheriff's department since the beginning of 2022.

The Richland County Sheriff's Department launched a homicide investigation into Bethel's death. In the immediate aftermath, investigators released few details regarding a possible motive or any potential suspects. They did, however, state their belief that the shooting appeared to be an isolated incident. No information has been publicly released about what may have led to the shooting or who was involved.

Public records indicate that Terrell Bethel had previous encounters with law enforcement in Columbia. In 2006, at age 17, a Terrell Lamont Bethel was wanted on a charge of second-degree lynching in connection with a group assault at a McDonald's on Two Notch Road. In September 2012, a 23-year-old Terrell L. Bethel was arrested and charged with seven counts of attempted murder and other weapons and drug offenses following a shooting in the parking lot of a different McDonald's on Two Notch Road. That incident, which police said stemmed from a verbal and physical altercation between groups, left one man, 20-year-old Steve McCoy, dead and two others wounded.

As of the latest available reports, the investigation into the murder of Terrell Bethel remains ongoing. No arrests have been announced, and no suspects have been publicly identified by the Richland County Sheriff's Department. Authorities have not released any further information. Anyone with knowledge of the shooting is encouraged to contact the Richland County Sheriff's Department or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers.