Man killed in double shooting a beloved nightclub owner, friends say

A Richland County man shot to death Saturday along with his adult daughter was an immigrant who built businesses and looked out for the community’s downtrodden, friends told The State on Monday.

The two were found dead around 9 a.m. at 124 Brandon Hall Road, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. Richland County Coroner Gary Watts identified them as Dunber Dolo, 55, and Magaiteh Dolo, 24.

Deputies arrested Willie Wilson, 25 – who officials say is Magaiteh Dolo’s ex-boyfriend – Sunday around 5:30 p.m.

It’s not the first time Wilson has come to law enforcement’s attention. Deputies answered a domestic violence call Jan. 15 at the home he shared with Magaiteh Dolo, according to the sheriff’s department.

“He assaulted her,” said sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Curtis Wilson, who is not related to the suspect. “The reason there was no charges is she would not cooperate with investigators or the victim services unit,” the spokesman said. “And she called the prosecutor’s office and told them she wouldn’t cooperate.”

Magaiteh Dolo moved in with her father recently at his home in Northeast Richland County, the sheriff’s spokesman said.

Leshawna Goodwin, 27, said she grew up near the Dolo family. She became friends with Magaiteh Dolo – who went by “Jac” – and the two other children in the family.

Dunber Dolo was a father figure to her as well, Goodwin said. “He took us places and we did things together as a group – and he would sit us down and give us advice.”

The Dolo family moved to Columbia between 15 and 20 years ago, Goodwin said. Dunber Dolo emigrated from Liberia to New York, then came to South Carolina, she said.

Otisha Mickens, who used to tend bar for Dunber Dolo at the nightclub Da Underground at Two Notch Road and Beltline Boulevard, said that Dolo drove a cab when he first came to the United States. Over the years, he ran several businesses in the Columbia area.

“He gave (food) out all the time,” Mickens said. “If there was food leftover (at any of his businesses), he’d let whoever was in there have it. He was always willing to feed you.”

In addition to nightclubs, Dunber Dolo also owned Dolo’s Soul Food restaurant on Sunset Boulevard – which Magaiteh Dolo ran – Goodwin said. She described the woman as quiet but funny.

“She would always make jokes,” Goodwin said. “She was just a loving person all around.”

Goodwin said she had to break the news to Magaiteh Dolo’s brother.

“I thought he knew, and he didn’t,” Goodwin said.

Eric Barber, 48, met Dunber Dolo in 2010 when Barber was an officer with the Columbia Police Department and Dolo owned a nightclub on Colonial Drive.

“He didn’t allow any drugs, anything illegal,” Barber said. “He was always in command of his club.”

Dunber Dolo had a habit of looking out for people, Barber said. Dolo would sometimes give jobs to folks who couldn’t get them elsewhere because they had criminal records or had little education, Barber said.

“He’d say things like, ‘If I give him a job, he can keep money in his pocket, he can take care of his responsibilities,’ ” he said of Dolo.

Barber said he has run his own trucking business since 2009, which he said Dunber Dolo encouraged him to launch.

Barber also worked at the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. He was fired after he was charged with misconduct in office in 2008 when school officials reported he improperly hugged three teenage girls.

The father and daughter were killed Saturday in the Brandon Hall subdivision off Hardscrabble Road. Wilson forced his way into the home through the rear door, officials said.

Investigators found Magaiteh Dolo inside the home and her father outside in a neighbor’s yard. The coroner said both of them died after being shot in the upper body.

Deputies found Wilson at the home of an acquaintance on Screaming Eagle Road Extension. He is charged with two counts of murder, first-degree burglary and armed robbery – that last because he stole Magaiteh Dolo’s car and cellphone, the sheriff’s spokesman said.

This story was originally published August 29, 2016 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Man killed in double shooting a beloved nightclub owner, friends say."