After one day of deliberation, an Aiken County jury found Harold Antonio Bates Jr. not guilty.
Bates and another suspect, Whyzdom Antonio Douse, were charged with the murder of 17-year-old Rodrick Alexander McMillian, who was shot and killed during a drive-by shooting on Aug. 2, 2019.
Around 1 a.m. on Aug. 2, McMillian was reportedly in the back seat of a car stopped at a red light on Waterloo Street and Richland Avenue.
A second vehicle drove up and suspects started shooting at the vehicle, striking McMillian at least one time.
McMillian was pronounced dead at the Augusta University Medical Center.
Bates surrendered himself to law enforcement following the incident.
There were strong indicators the drive-by was gang related, as both subjects had connections with gangs, according to a previous Aiken Standard article.
In May, Bates' co-defendant, Douse, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 33 years in prison for his involvement in the fatal 2019 shooting.
Bates was on trial for the murder this week.
Around 3 p.m. Thursday, an Aiken County jury found Bates not guilty.