A South Carolina victim of a fatal domestic dispute that took place on Sunday evening has been identified.
Twenty-five-year-old Wynter Straw was brutally murdered outside of an apartment in South Carolina’s capital, Columbia. The suspect, Renardo S. Johnson, 27, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the upper body. Wynter’s death has been ruled a homicide.
Law enforcement officials with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said at around 6pm, deputies were called to an apartment complex to inquire about an altercation between two parties. Upon arrival, they found a woman lying dead in a pool of blood from a gunshot wound. The suspect, who they believe was armed, was found barricaded inside an apartment at the complex.
“A law enforcement response involving multiple units from the sheriff’s department followed with negotiator teams remaining in contact with the man for nearly three hours with hopes of resolving the issue peacefully,” according to a WLTX report. “Authorities said the suspect stopped speaking with them and, moments later, they heard what they suspected was gunfire from inside the apartment. They found the suspect with a gunshot wound to the upper body.”
Johnson was later taken to a local hospital for treatment but succumbed to the gunshot wound.
Authorities say Straw and Johnson were romantically linked but would not provide details about what led to the murder-suicide.
According to Sheriff Leon Lott who was at the scene of the standoff, the victim’s murder was a “sad example of how violent and deadly a domestic situation can be. This will impact two families, many friends and a community deeply.”
Police say they heightened their response to reach the scene because they were tipped that a child was inside the apartment the suspect used to barricade himself. This was later proved to be inaccurate, authorities say.
Straw, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and a standout athlete at Allen University where she recently graduated, was known for her kindness and warmth both on and off campus.
“Wynter leaves behind an immense impact on the AU community, her continued commitment to service was shown tremendous with being a mentor to many students at AU as well as the current players on both (the) women’s basketball and volleyball teams,” said the university’s spokeswoman, Tacara Carpenter. “She made it her mission to pour back into the places that poured into her! She will be greatly missed.”
