Suspected shooter was drinking beer while victims were found nearby, SC cops say
A woman was killed in a shooting over the weekend that left one man hospitalized and another behind bars, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Rachel Branham, a 37-year-old Irmo resident, is the person who died, Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said Monday.
At about 1:15 a.m. Sunday, deputies responded to a shooting in the 10 block of Forest Walk Court, the sheriff’s department said in a news release. That’s near the intersection of Broad River Road and Riverwalk Way in Irmo.
Deputies found a man who had been shot in the upper body at a home near where the gunfire was reported, according to the release.
The deputies who were gathering information learned that the suspected gunman, later identified as 65-year-old Keith Bagley, was still at the scene, the sheriff’s department said. The deputies contacted Bagley, who was drinking a beer on the front porch of the home where the shooting happened, according to the release.
Bagley was detained and the deputies then discovered a woman, later identified as Branham, in the home’s doorway, the sheriff’s department said. Branham, who was unresponsive as she was lying face down, had been shot and died at the scene, according to the release.
The male victim was taken to an area hospital by EMS, the sheriff’s department said. Further information on his condition was not available.
Bagley was charged with murder, attempted murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime, according to the release. One of those weapons charges was for being a convicted violent felon in possession of a firearm, jail records show.
Bagley was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center where he remains locked up while awaiting a bond hearing, according to jail records.
Information about a motive for the shooting, or any connection between Bagley and the victims, was not available.
In 2014, Bagley pleaded guilty to an assault & battery (of a high and aggravated nature) charge, Richland County court records show. He previously pleaded guilty to two counts of grand larceny and a single charge of second-degree burglary in 1990, according to court records.
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This story was originally published September 29, 2025 at 10:38 AM.
