Joshua Ruffin

Joshua “Josh” Dariandre Ruffin, 17, was shot and killed by Columbia, South Carolina Police Officer Kevin Davis on April 8, 2020, after Davis noticed him during a patrol responding to reports of car break-ins and neighborhood suspicious activity during COVID-19 lockdown hours. Ruffin ran when Davis tried to stop him; during the roughly 30-second, 557-foot chase, Davis said Ruffin stopped, pulled a .45-caliber handgun from a bag, and pointed it at him, prompting Davis to fire 10 shots, one striking Ruffin in the forehead. Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson, who is also Black, announced in June 2020 that Davis would not be charged, openly acknowledging “a racial dynamic” to the case before concluding it played no role in his decision. The Ruffin family's attorney said the released body camera footage was too blurry to actually confirm Ruffin pointed the gun at Davis. No one has ever been charged in Ruffin's death.

Columbia, SC · Richland County

• 2020: Case opens — victim reported missing or found.
• Documented milestones (renewed investigation, media coverage, family advocacy) to be added as sourced.
• Present: case remains unresolved. No named suspect has been convicted.

• The patrol, the foot chase, and the shooting near Eau Claire High School, per Solicitor Byron Gipson's public presentation of body camera footage and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's investigation.
• Davis chased Ruffin for approximately 30 seconds and 557 feet with his gun not drawn; Gipson said the footage showed Ruffin stop, crouch, and pull a .45-caliber pistol from a bag before Davis fired 10 shots, one striking Ruffin in the forehead.
• Solicitor Gipson stated at a lengthy public press conference in June 2020 that he acknowledged “a racial dynamic” to the case, since Ruffin was Black and Davis is white, but concluded after reviewing the evidence that race played no role in his charging decision.
• The Ruffin family's attorney, state Representative Todd Rutherford, reviewed the same body camera footage and said the video was too blurry to actually confirm Ruffin pointed the weapon at Davis, rather than simply holding it.
• The recovered handgun was later reported stolen; Gipson's office concluded Ruffin was likely in unlawful possession of it as a minor, though the bag he carried contained no other stolen items.
• The Racial Justice Network and other community organizations later called on the U.S. Department of Justice to reopen the case for an independent federal investigation; no subsequent public announcement of federal charges has been reported.
• Officer Davis remained on paid administrative leave pending a separate internal department review of whether he violated any Columbia Police Department policy.

• Whether Ruffin in fact pointed the recovered handgun at Davis, as the solicitor's office concluded from body camera footage, or whether he was simply holding it without aiming, as the family's attorney argued the blurry video left genuinely unclear, was never resolved by any criminal trial since none was brought.
• The outcome of Columbia Police Department's internal review of whether Davis's tactics or decision to pursue alone violated department policy has not been made comprehensively public.
• Whether the Department of Justice ever formally responded to or acted on the Racial Justice Network's request for a federal civil rights investigation has not been reported in available public sources.

• The Post and Courier — “SC prosecutor declines to charge officer who fatally shot Columbia teen”
• WIS10 — “CPD officer in Joshua Ruffin case will not face charges”
• AP, via WLOS — “Prosecutor: SC officer who shot black teen was justified, no charges filed”
• Project Cold Case
• Murder Accountability Project
• NamUs