West Columbia man shot in robbery dies of gunshot wounds

The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the community’s help in identifying two men who shot and wounded a 39-year-old West Columbia man earlier in March.

Joel Alfonso Garcia died as a result of his wounds at an area hospital Saturday, Lexington County Sheriff Lewis McCarty said in a statement released Monday.

The incident occurred about 9 p.m. on March 29. Deputies responding to a shooting on Dubbs Avenue near West Columbia found two men suffering from gunshot wounds to the lower torso. The men, both from West Columbia, were taken to a hospital where they received treatment. One of the men, 49, was treated and released.

Garcia died as a result of the gunshot wound, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said. A forensic pathologist determined that the wound caused multiple failures of Garcia’s organs. Fisher ruled Garcia’s death was a homicide.

Garcia was unable to provide detectives with a detailed physical description of the two who shot him, McCarty said, but told detectives that two African-American men shot and robbed him then drove away in a white, four-door vehicle.

The circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation. Anyone with information about about this incident is asked to call the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department at (803) 785-8230 or CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.

Mindy Lucas

This story was originally published April 13, 2015 at 7:06 PM with the headline "West Columbia man shot in robbery dies of gunshot wounds."