Suspect identified in deadly homicide and apartment barricade

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford confirmed the name of the suspect who barricaded himself at an apartment in the 700 block of Mallet Road after allegedly shooting and killing Wynter Straw Sunday, March 26.

The suspect was identified as 27-year-old Renardo S. Johnson.

“We will continue working with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department to fully investigate this incident,” said Rutherford.

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Family members have confirmed the woman killed in Sunday’s deadly shooting is Wynter Straw.

The family also provided WIS with these photos:

Straw’s mother Lashon Williams described her daughter as determined and community-driven.

“She was a good friend, a good sister, a great daughter. All just around a good person, a rising star,” she said.

Williams said she didn’t see any signs of physical mistreatment, making the murder a shock and betrayal.

“This man looked me in my eyes all the time and whenever I would talk to him, I’d say ‘I’m giving you my child, a whole-hearted bubbly personality and that’s how I want to get her back.’ And he always assured me he would never do anything to hurt my child,” she said.

She said Straw’s murder has given the family a new purpose- taking on domestic violence.

“We want to make it clear, real clear, domestic violence is not a joke. It’s not something that we should take lightly. For those of you that are posting on Facebook, and doing all that unnecessary stuff, I don’t care what a person does to you, you don’t have the right to take her life. You don’t have the right to put your hands on nobody,” she said.

If you’re a victim of domestic violence, you can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline for resources.

The number is 800.799.SAFE (7233).

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A man who barricaded himself at an apartment in the 700 block of Mallet Road after allegedly shooting and killing a woman, Sunday night has died.

According to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, the man died at the hospital overnight after investigators found him with a gunshot wound to the upper part of his body.

Investigators say the suspect and the victim had a romantic relationship.

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The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a domestic violence homicide that escalated to a stand-off after a man barricaded himself inside an apartment.

According to officials, deputies responded to a report of a shooting in the 700 block of Mallet Road.

Deputies say when they arrived on the scene, a woman was found dead with a gunshot wound outside one of the apartment buildings.

A male suspect who deputies believed was armed barricaded himself inside an apartment.

RCSD Crisis Negotiators and Special Response Team units were immediately called to the scene to de-escalate the situation.

A team of negotiators spoke with the suspect for around almost three hours attempting to resolve the situation.

In the process of attempting to de-escalate the situation, deputies heard what they believed to be a gunshot from inside the apartment and entered in.

The suspect was found with a gunshot wound to the upper part of his body and taken to the hospital by EMS.

Investigators say the suspect and the victim had a romantic relationship.

“This is another sad example of how violent and deadly a domestic situation can be,” Sheriff Leon Lott said. “This will impact two families, many friends, and a community deeply.”

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