HOWARD COUNTY, Md. — A jury has found a man guilty in connection with a double shooting in Columbia in 2023 that left a teenager dead.
Kennard Mekhi White, 21, was convicted on all counts, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, and weapons offenses in the killing of 18-year-old Jeremiah Isaiah Darden and the wounding of another Columbia man.
On the night of December 17, 2023, Darden and three friends were in the stairwell of an apartment building in the 7600 block of Woodpark Lane when multiple gunshots were fired toward them.
Both Darden and the second victim were taken to Shock Trauma, where Darden succumbed to his injuries. The second victim was later released from the hospital, while the other two men in the group were not struck by gunfire.
According to investigators, White was attempting to purchase a firearm from someone who lived in the same apartment building. The shooting victims had no prior connection to White, and investigators determined they were not the intended targets.
White was linked to the crime through surveillance video, cell phone and electronic records, forensic evidence from a vehicle involved in the shooting, and firearm evidence. Police also recovered a 9mm handgun from underneath White's bed.
White had already been imprisoned for prior unrelated charges including robbery, burglary, and shooting.
Now convicted on all counts, White will be sentenced on November 23, 2026.
