On the afternoon of Wednesday, December 29, 2021, police responded to a residence in the 700 block of Shull Street in West Columbia and found 35-year-old Frankie Orlando Gardner suffering a gunshot wound to his upper body. First responders pronounced him dead at the scene. Gardner, known as Junior to friends and family, was described as a loving, caring man with an infectious smile who enjoyed time with family, joking around, and working as a truck driver after earning his commercial driver’s license in 2018.

West Columbia police initially sought two people they believed were involved and described the shooting as an isolated incident with no ongoing danger to the public. Investigators later identified and arrested two men on murder charges. The motive has not been released. Anyone with information about what happened that afternoon is asked to come forward.