Two charged with murder after body found at Columbia apartment complex, sheriff says
Little more than a week after a man was shot and killed at an apartment complex in Columbia two men have been charged with murder, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said Monday.
Daniel Goodwin Jr., 30, and Andre Daniels Jr., 27, were arrested in the days following the April 8 shooting at the apartment complex in the 1200 block of Metze Road, the sheriff’s department said in a news release. Both are charged with murder, and Goodwin was also charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime, jail records show.
On the morning of April 8, deputies responded to reports of a shooting at the apartment complex that’s near the intersection of Broad River Road and St. Andrews Road, according to the release.
Deputies found the victim face down in the hallway of one of the apartment buildings after he had been shot several times in the upper body, the sheriff’s department said. The victim was taken to an area hospital where he died, according to the release.
On Monday, the Richland County Coroner’s Office publicly identified the victim as Travis D. Taylor, a 40-year-old Columbia resident.
During the investigation, deputies learned that Goodwin and Daniels as well as Taylor were all at the same two nightclubs prior to the shooting, the sheriff’s department said. Deputies are still working to determine what led to the shooting and a motive for the gunfire.
Goodwin was booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center on April 11, while Daniels was taken into custody Monday, jail records show.
At the time of the shooting, Goodwin was out on bond from a 2019 arrest on a murder charge in Orangeburg County, the sheriff’s department said.
Goodwin is also facing pending armed robbery, assault and battery (high and aggravated nature), and criminal conspiracy charges from the same 2019 arrest, Orangeburg County court records show.
“When we talk about catch and release, this is a worst-case scenario,” Sheriff Leon Lott said in the release. “A killer getting out, only to go kill again. If Daniels had stayed in jail, this victim would still be alive.”
No bond was set for Goodwin on the recent charges, according Richland County court records. The Harleyville resident is scheduled to appear in a Richland County court again on May 26.
Information about Daniels’ bond status was not available, but he’s being held in the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, jail records show.
