Steven Howard, a 26-year-old Black man, was killed by a gunshot wound to the chest on Jones Avenue in Marion, South Carolina, on the evening of April 17, 2016. The Marion Police Department, led by Chief Dewayne Tennie, investigated the shooting and identified a primary suspect, 28-year-old Geno Davon Lester of Sellers, South Carolina. The U.S. Marshals Service assisted in the search, and another person, Tierra Inman, was implicated for actions after the shooting.

Charges were filed: Lester was charged with murder and Inman was charged with accessory after the fact to a felony; Inman was arrested and held at the Marion County Detention Center. The case went to trial and a jury found Geno Davon Lester not guilty of murder, leaving Howard’s death without a convicted perpetrator.