1 adult, 3 teens charged in shooting that killed 15-year-old girl at apartment complex, sheriff says
A 20-year-old man and three teens are in custody and will be charged after allegedly killing an innocent 15-year-old girl in a drive-by shooting at an apartment complex in Lancaster County early Sunday morning, said Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile said in a news conference Thursday afternoon.
Deputies were called just before 1 a.m. to Foxwood Apartments on Country Club Road in Kershaw after reports of shots being fired into a building. At the scene, deputies spoke to residents who said they heard the shots fired and at least one car that drove away.
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At that time, investigators said no injuries were reported that and the only damage found was from gunfire to an air conditioning unit.
Several hours later, at around 7 a.m., deputies responded to the apartment complex again. Authorities said a resident found her 15-year-old niece, who has been shot while lying on a couch. Officials confirmed she died at the scene.
The sheriff’s office said the teen was visiting relatives. Other people, including children, were inside the apartment at the time of the shooting but were not hurt.
Authorities believe the victim was struck by a bullet during the drive-by shooting just before 1 a.m. They said there is no evidence that a second shooting happened.
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Family members identified the victim as JaShawnna Coleman. Click here for a GoFundMe account for JaShawnna.
Antonyio Gary Johnson, 20, of Camden, was arrested and will be charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.
A 15-year-old male juvenile was charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. He was taken to the DJJ detention center in Columbia.
Two other 16-year-old male juveniles were also implicated in the shooting.
One was in Camden late Wednesday afternoon and was taken into custody.
The other, who was with a parent, turned himself in Wednesday night.
Both will be charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime through DJJ. They were transported to the DJJ detention center in Columbia.
The three juveniles will appear before a Family Court judge who will determine whether they remain in custody.
Video footage from multiple sources of a Nissan Altima at the apartment complex at the time of the shooting led investigators to a house on Day Street.
On Wednesday, multiple agencies executed search warrants on two houses and a mobile home on Day Street. The suspects were found in the homes and taken into custody.
The Nissan and four handguns were found in the homes and seized.
The names of the juveniles were not released because of their ages.
“Investigators from multiple agencies have worked around the clock on this case since early Sunday morning,” said Sheriff Barry Faile. “Citizens and businesses also provided valuable information and access to video surveillance footage which allowed us to identify the car used and ultimately the shooters. Every agency, every citizen, and every business we asked for help cooperated with us. This cooperation allowed us to break this case quickly and get four dangerous young men off the street. Our thoughts and prayers are extended to Ms. Coleman’s family and friends. The death of this young lady is a senseless tragedy which should have never occurred, but it is also a crime. Our hope now is that the judicial system will mete out proper punishment for these four young men for taking the life of this completely innocent victim.”
Residents hope for quick arrest (previous coverage)
“There are no printable words to describe my anger toward the person or people responsible for this cowardly act of shooting a gun from a car on the road at a residential complex during the wee hours of a Sunday morning without any regard whatsoever for the lives of the people inside,” said Faile said after the shooting. “A completely innocent 15-year-old girl is dead, and we will bring to bear all the resources we have to solve this shooting and put the responsible party or parties in jail. Please call us if you know anything about this shooting.”
Neighbors living with the memory of the shooting said earlier in the week that they were hoping for a quick arrest.
“I want them to get whoever did this so they can take them off the streets, so they can’t hurt anybody else,” a neighbor told Channel 9. The neighbor asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation.
“A kid, 15 years old, just didn’t have a chance to grow up. It is certainly heartless,” said Faile.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office at 803-283-3388.
No other details have been released. Return to this story for updates.
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