Joshua Dariandre Ruffin
Birth date:
July 1, 2002
Death date:
April 8, 2020
Age at Death:
17
About
Joshua Dariandre Ruffin was 17 years old, and he was from Columbia, South Carolina. Ruffin was a student of the Richland One Evening High School Program. People say that his smile lit up a room.
A Columbia police officer was patrolling in an area near where cars had been recently broken into, and when the officer got out of his car to question Ruffin, the teen started to run away. During the 20-second chase, the officer claimed that Ruffin pulled out a gun. The officer fired at Ruffin, hitting him once and killing him, the chief said. The coroner found Ruffin was shot in the chest.
Was justice served?
Columbia's top prosecutor denied to charge the police officer that shot Ruffin. This is due to body cam footage that shows Ruffin with a weapon drawn. The prosecutor stated that "just because he was going in an opposite direction does not mean the gun wasn't pointed." As of February 2021, justice has not been served.