Trio charged after man killed at student apartment complex in Columbia, cops say
Three men were arrested less than two weeks after another man was shot and killed at a student apartment complex in South Carolina, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Damajne Hicks, a 25-year-old Columbia resident, was identified as the victim in the May 31 shooting, the Richland County Coroner’s Office previously said.
On Tuesday, the sheriff’s department announced that 22-year-old Jahquez Mack, 21-year-old Jayln Malik Smith and 23-year-old Yaqin Sincere Jackson had been arrested in connection to Hicks’ death.
At about 6 a.m. on May 31, deputies responded to a call about a shooting in the 1000 block of Southern Drive, the sheriff’s department said in a news release. That’s the Redpoint Columbia apartments, a complex that is marketed for students in the area near the University of South Carolina campus.
The apartment complex is in the area between Shop Road and Bluff Road, about 2 miles from Williams-Brice Stadium.
Deputies found Hicks inside of an apartment building, according to the release. Hicks had been shot multiple times and died at the scene, the sheriff’s department said.
An investigation revealed that Mack, Smith and Jackson were visiting the apartment, and one of them started an altercation with another individual in the apartment, according to the release. Hicks tried to intervene and was fatally shot, the sheriff’s department said.
No other injuries were reported.
On June 1, deputies and members of the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office and Darlington County Street Crimes Unit arrested Mack in Darlington, where he lives, according to the release. He was charged with accessory after the fact of a felony (murder), and was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, the sheriff’s department said. Mack posted a $100,000 bond and has since been released, according to the release.
On June 4, deputies, with the assistance of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Smith at an acquaintance’s residence in Darlington, according to the release. He was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, the sheriff’s department said.
Smith also was booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center where he remains locked up while awaiting a bond hearing, according to the release. The owner of the residence where Smith was taken into custody, 21-year-old Kendall Williamson, was charged with harboring a fugitive by Darlington County Sheriff’s Office, according to the release.
On Tuesday, deputies, with the assistance of the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Jackson at his home in Darlington, according to the release. He was charged with accessory after the fact of a felony and was taken to the jail in Richland County, where he’s behind bars while awaiting a bond hearing, the sheriff’s department said.
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This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 1:14 PM with the headline "Trio charged after man killed at student apartment complex in Columbia, cops say."
