Man charged with murder after another man’s body was found in a car, Columbia police say
A Columbia man was charged with murder and other crimes after another man was recently shot and killed, South Carolina officials said.
Benjamin T. Patterson Jr., 24, was also charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime and possession of a firearm by convicted violent felon, jail records show.
Patterson is not legally allowed to possess a firearm because of a previous domestic violence conviction, police said in a news release.
The shooting happened Monday in the early morning hours in the 400 block of Floyd Drive, according to the Columbia Police Department. That’s in Columbia, near Exit 72 on Interstate 20, which is the junction with Farrow Road.
Shortly before 3:30 a.m., officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert, according to police. ShotSpotter is a technology that uses acoustic monitors to detect a sound like gunfire. The system sends the gunfire’s location to Columbia police within 45 seconds.
When they got to the scene, officers found a man sitting alone in a vehicle with an upper body injury, police said.
A 58-year-old man was fatally shot, police said.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Kevin Brown, according to police.
No other injuries were reported.
Officers executed several search warrants related to the case, and Patterson was ultimately found on Garners Ferry Road and arrested a few hours after the shooting, police said.
Information about a motive for the shooting remains under investigation, but police said they believe Patterson confronted Brown moments before the shooting.
There was no word if Brown and Patterson knew each other prior to the shooting.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department assisted police with the investigation.
Patterson was booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center Monday, where he remains as no bond has been set, jail records show.
Following a bond hearing, Patterson is scheduled to return to court on May 30, according to judicial records.
When he was taken into custody Monday, Patterson was out on bond from previous arrests where charges are pending, court records show.
On Feb. 19, Patterson was charged with manufacture, distribution, etc. of cocaine base and a $10,000 bond was posted the following day, court records show.
Earlier this month, on March 8, Patterson was arrested on a third-degree domestic violence charge, and bond was set at $5,449.50, according to court records.
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This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 8:05 AM.
