SC cops find body then track down the accused killer 60 miles away, sheriff says
One man was killed in Columbia over the weekend and another man was charged with murder after he was tracked down in a different part of South Carolina, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
In addition to murder, 44-year-old Charles McCants was charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after he was taken into custody in Hartsville, the sheriff’s department said Sunday night in a news release.
McCants was involved in a shooting late Saturday night, according to the release.
Brian G. Barrett, a 30-year-old Columbia resident, is the person who died in the Saturday shooting, Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford said.
At about 11 p.m. Saturday, deputies responded to a call about a shooting in the 800 block of Polo Road, the sheriff’s department said. That’s in a part of Columbia between I-20 and Sesquicentennial State Park.
When they arrived, deputies found a man who had been shot in the upper body, according to the release. The victim was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead, the sheriff’s department said.
No other injuries were reported.
Deputies learned that McCants and the victim were in a verbal argument that turned physical, according to the release. McCants shot the victim multiple times then left the area, the sheriff’s department said. Information about why the men were arguing, and if they knew each other prior to the shooting, was not available.
McCants was later found, about 60 miles away, in Hartsville and detained by the Hartsville Police Department, according to the release. He was brought back to Columbia, and was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, the sheriff’s department said. McCants remains locked up while waiting for a bond hearing, jail records show.
The coroner’s office said it, along with the sheriff’s department, are continuing to investigate the shooting.
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This story was originally published December 22, 2025 at 7:42 AM.
