SC police officer kills man outside nuisance club, Richland County sheriff says
A South Carolina police officer was involved in an overnight shooting where a man died outside a nightclub that drew the ire of Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott.
At about 3:30 a.m. Sunday, the shooting happened at Relapse Bar & Grill, which is at 5024 Two Notch Road, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said. That’s an unincorporated part of Richland County, in the Forest Acres area of Columbia.
Cpl. Daniel Haddad, an officer with the Forest Acres Police Department shot and killed a man who was driving erratically and threatening the lives of people in the club’s parking lot, Lott said in a Sunday afternoon news conference that he opened by saying “Someone lost their life last night.”
The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the man who was killed.
“The coroner has notified the person shot’s family, but she has not released name at this point,” Lott said at the news conference. “That will come from her at a later time.”
No other injuries were reported.
The sheriff’s department told The State that no deputies were involved, but it is investigating the shooting because it happened in Richland County.
“Forest Acres (Police Department) is fully cooperating with us,” Lott said at the news conference where he was joined by Forest Acres Police Chief Don Robinson, formerly a longtime deputy with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. “... We will gather the facts of the circumstances and turn it over to the (5th Circuit) solicitor’s office and they will determine the justification or non-justification of the shooting.”
How the officer got involved
Before Haddad, a member of the Forest Acres Police Department since July 2021, shot the man, another Forest Acres police officer heard gun shots coming from the area of Two Notch Road near Relapse Bar & Grill, according to the sheriff’s department.
Further information about those overheard gunshots was not available, and the sheriff’s department did not say that the man who was later killed was involved in those shots that were fired.
Haddad began to circulate the 5000 block of Two Notch Road when a vehicle driving erratically almost hit his patrol vehicle, the sheriff’s department said. The officer activated his blue lights, and siren at some point, in an attempt to stop the vehicle, according to Lott.
The vehicle continued to drive erratically as it entered the club’s parking lot, the sheriff’s department said. Haddad got out of his patrol vehicle, then gave constant commands for the driver to stop, according to the sheriff’s department.
Rather than follow the orders, the driver continued to the back of the club where there were lots of vehicles and people in the parking lot, Lott said. The driver accelerated, almost hitting a security guard and others, the sheriff’s department said.
That’s when Haddad fired his weapon, according to the sheriff’s department.
“At that point the officer fired his weapon, hit the subject numerous times. He was pronounced dead at the scene,” Lott said. “The suspect was in his vehicle and he was driving his vehicle in such a way that the officer felt that people’s lives were in danger.”
Richland County’s response
Richland County deputies were en route to the club when the shooting happened, according to Lott. It’s in a location that is patrolled by law enforcement officers from Richland County, Forest Acres and the Columbia Police Department, according to the sheriff.
Lott said his department’s critical incident team — which he described as a highly-trained unit that investigates officer-involved shootings and other critical incidents — was called to the club after the shooting. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department investigates all officer-involved shootings in house, as opposed to turning that responsibility over to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. There was no word why SLED wasn’t involved in this investigation, but Robinson released a statement saying he called the sheriff’s department and his police department “is fully cooperating with an outside investigation.”
At the club, Lott said deputies and members of the critical incident team secured the scene and were still examining evidence when the sheriff held the 4 p.m. news conference. One of the critical incident team’s priorities was recovering and examining footage from body cams, dash cams and private cameras, according to Lott.
“There’s a lot of work to be done,” Lott said. “It’s tragic that we have something like this happen, but circumstances force our officers to do things certain times.”
As a result of the investigation, Haddad was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome, Robinson said. The police chief said that type of personnel move is standard protocol, although in the release police said that this was the first time in decades that a Forest Acres police officer was involved in a deadly shooting.
“During difficult times like these, we ask for patience as law enforcement investigates,” Forest Acres Mayor Thomas Andrews said in the release issued by the police department. “We as a city also affirm our commitment to transparency. Finally, we ask for prayers for all involved, especially families touched by loss.”
‘Blood money’
While he was measured in his statements about the shooting, Lott didn’t conceal his frustration with the people operating and visiting the club. The sheriff noted multiple times that the club was packed at 3:30 a.m. on Mother’s Day.
Lott went on to describe the club as a nuisance, and one that his department has tried to keep from staying open.
Since November 2025, Richland County deputies have responded to the club 64 times, Lott said. The complaints have included issues with loud noise, assaults, fights, robberies and vehicle break-ins, according to Lott.
“We protested the license there,” Lott said. “We protested the license for that place due to the history it’s had ... shootings, carjackings, murders, etc., that happened there.” Lott did not go into specifics about any of the previous incidents he referenced that he said happened at the club.
Despite the sheriff’s department’s efforts, Lott said the club received a temporary alcohol license in November 2025. He pointed out that license expired March 2026.
“It’s a shame that our society has got to the point where we just do not value human life whatsoever,” Lott said. “I think I saw that full force last night when someone was more interested in making money than they were in respecting someone who’d lost their life in their parking lot. But the club didn’t slow down, did not close down, didn’t ask its patrons to leave so we could do our investigation. They just continued full force like nothing had ever happened. ... All they were interested in was making blood money and that’s what they made last night. They did not care about that man.”
Lott pointed out that the man who was killed was not an employee of the club, but he was clear that Relapse Bar & Grill was the man’s intended destination.
A man going by the name of Rapp Dolla made a post on social media, where he issued a statement about the shooting as a representative of the club.
“On behalf of everyone at Relapse, we extend our condolences to the family of the victim,” the post said. “Although the club wasn’t involved in the incident, we acknowledge that the circumstances are tragic and unjust. We believe that the situation could have been handled differently, and we strongly feel that no one deserves to lose their life due to avoidable senseless behavior that could have been resolved by issuing a simple citation.”
Lott said that he took issue with that social media post. He went on to say that closing the club is now a priority for him.
“In addition with the investigation on the officer-involved shooting we’re gonna to do something separate on that place,” Lott said. “I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure they close and never open again.”
When responding to a question, Lott pointed out that the expired alcohol license was one place to start.
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This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 9:23 AM with the headline "SC police officer kills man outside nuisance club, Richland County sheriff says."
