RICHLAND COUNTY, SC (WOLO) — A man has been charged with murder after a verbal argument turned deadly on Saturday night, marking the 26th homicide in Richland County this year. Sergeant Bryce Hughes with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department says deputies responded to reports of a shooting at the Polo Commons Apartment Homes around 11 that night. “What deputies learned on scene was that the victim and the suspect knew each other, and they were in a verbal altercation prior to this incident. It turned physical, and that’s when the suspect ended up grabbing the weapon and shooting the victim multiple times. And he then proceeded to get in his vehicle, and flee from the area,” says Hughes. Deputies say they rendered aid until EMS arrived, but the victim, identified by the Richland County Coroner’s Office as 30-year-old Brian Barrett, later died at the hospital. Forty-four-year-old Charles McCants was located and arrested by the Hartsville Police Department a short time later. He now faces several charges — including murder and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. A separate issue that night was the entrance to the complex. An anonymous resident told ABC Columbia’s Lee Williams the gate (which remains locked at night) is supposed to open at the sound of police and EMS sirens, but wasn’t working. She says tenants had to use their fobs to open the gate and let First Responders in. “What if another incident happened where someone else needed help? You can’t get that because sirens are not working for the gate to open and it’s just basically waiting for a tenant to come open the gate. And I hate that we have to rely on residents to be proactive but if that is what it calls us to do, then so be it,” she says, citing multiple maintenance issues and lack of communication from apartment management. However Sgt. Hughes says the delay was less than 60 seconds, and because of the heavy gunshot wounds the victim had sustained, doesn’t believe it had any affect on the end result. “I’m not a medical professional so I can’t necessarily say, but it doesn’t appear that that was any type of determining factor on the outcome of this situation,” says Hughes. Barrett’s death marks the 26th murder in Richland County in 2025. “Majority of these homicides have to do with individuals not being able to have conflict resolution. We’re jumping to gun violence for simple problems, or things that it’s not necessary for, and we’re losing lives because of that,” says Hughes. Williams reached out to management with Polo Commons but has not yet gotten a response. McCants is being held in the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center where he awaits a bond hearing. Categories: Local News, News Tags: Brian Barrett, Charles McCants, Polo Commons, Shooting ...read more read less