Shooting victim’s family pleads for public’s help in solving 4-year-old case

Four years ago today, Carmen Glenn lost her brother and she still doesn’t know why.

Warren James Nelson was shot to death at the Gable Oaks Apartments at 901 Colleton Street around 3.a.m. February 10, 2012 . A 7 a.m. call to 9-1-1 reported the death to police.

Columbia police, in a news release issued Wednesday, said while armed robbery has been ruled out, they still don’t have a motive for the shooting. What they do know is that the 46-year-old Columbia man was sitting with an unidentified man moments before he was killed in a gold 4-door Buick Century that Nelson had borrowed from a friend.

While that friend currently is not a suspect in the shooting, investigators think Nelson may have known his killer because relatives said that he was not the type to associate with strangers.

Four years after the shooting, family members have joined police in pleading for anyone with information about the case to come forward.

“Maybe I could heal if I knew why (he was shot),” Nelson’s mother, Janie Haynie, said.

"Someone has to know something no matter how small. You may not think it matters but it does. It matters to me,” Glenn said in urging anyone with information about the shooting to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC, text CRIMES (274637) and mark the beginning of the message with “TIPSC” followed by the tip information, or log onto www.midlandscrimestoppers.com and click on the red “Submit a tip” tab.

This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Shooting victim’s family pleads for public’s help in solving 4-year-old case."