The Charleston Police Department responded to a report of gunshots at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 10, 2026, in the West Ashley neighborhood. Officers arrived on Tripe Street to find a car stopped in the roadway. Inside was 28-year-old Ashlyn Brianna Burkett, who had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police quickly determined the shooting was not random but that Burkett had been “specifically targeted”. As a critical early lead, detectives executed a search warrant at a residence on Tripe Street the same day. During that search, they located 33-year-old Antonio Jamal Kelly inside the home.
At that moment, Kelly was not arrested for the murder. Instead, he was taken into custody on an unrelated, active warrant for domestic violence from 2025. According to jail records, he was released later that same day, January 10, after posting a $5,000 bond on that domestic violence charge.
With probable cause established, warrants were issued for Kelly’s arrest on charges of murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. By this time, however, Kelly was no longer in South Carolina.
On Thursday, January 15, 2026, the Charleston Police Department’s Warrants Unit, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, located and arrested Antonio Jamal Kelly in Jacksonville, Florida. He is currently being held there, pending extradition back to South Carolina to face the charges.
Ashlyn Burkett’s death has devastated her family. She was a loving mother to three young daughters. Her family has created a GoFundMe campaign to support the children, stating they are “devastated beyond words” and struggling to cope with the “profound loss”.
The Charleston Police Department stresses that the homicide investigation remains active and ongoing. Authorities are continuing to piece together the full circumstances of the killing. They have encouraged anyone with information to contact the on-duty Central Detective at 843-720-2422 or to submit an anonymous tip online.
In light of the domestic nature of the prior relationship between the victim and suspect, police have also included resources for others who may be in danger. Their press release encourages anyone experiencing intimate partner violence to seek help by contacting law enforcement or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.