Inman shooting deaths: Suspect arrested in Georgia for armed robbery, all victims identified

A suspect has been arrested and charged with murder for the deaths of the five people who died Sunday as a result of a shooting on Bobo Rd. in Inman.

James Douglas Drayton, 24, is presently charged with four counts of murder and four counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime, with additional charges expected after the fifth and final victim was publicly identified Tuesday afternoon. Drayton was charged after being arrested for armed robbery in Burke County in Georgia.

Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright held a press conference Tuesday afternoon to provide updates on the incident, which he believes occurred around 9 a.m. Sunday. Sheriff's Office deputies reported to the scene around 7:45 p.m. Sunday evening, and Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger said his office responded around 8:30 p.m. Sunday.

The victims are: Thomas Ellis Anderson, 37, James Derek Baldwin, 49, Mark Allen Hewitt, 59, Adam Daniel Morley, 32, and Roman Christean Megael Rocha, 19.

Wright said that this was the largest single murder incident in Spartanburg County.

Rocha was the only one with any vital signs when officials responded, and died during surgery after being transported to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. Anderson, Baldwin, Morley, and Hewitt, were all pronounced dead on scene Sunday evening.

The Coroner and Sheriff's Office do not publicly identify a victim until next-of-kin has been notified, and the names of the victims have been released incrementally between Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon. The Sheriff's Office said more warrants with charges against Drayton will be released now that the next-of-kin for Baldwin, the final victim to be publicly identified, has been notified.

Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright: No neighbors saw or heard anything, including gunshots

Drayton had been staying with the five victims at the 280 Bobo Drive address. Wright said all parties involved had drug habits, specifically referencing methamphetamine.

"Our laws don't put people to death for being an addict," Wright said. "These men and women didn't deserve what they got, they did not get justice at all."

Wright also said the Sheriff's Office investigators traveled to Burke County, Georgia to question Drayton and obtained a confession. He added that he was alerted that an arrest had been made in Burke County of a man driving a car belonging to one of the victims, whom Wright did not identify.

The car was registered to the victim's mother, who made a welfare call about the car being used without her consent. This call led to the connection between the Georgia arrest and the Inman deaths.

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"He tried to arm rob some people, and I think possibly kidnap somebody," Wright said. "Burke County was all over it, and were able to spot him and give chase. The car was either stopped or wrecked."

Wright declined to provide specifics of Drayton's motive since there is an active investigation.

Clevenger said Monday morning he did not believe the victims were related to each other.

Wright said the Bobo Drive residence was considered a safe haven for drug usage. He added that there is no evidence anyone else was staying at the residence.

Wright said no neighbors saw or heard anything Sunday, including gunshot noises.

Clevenger added that all injuries appear to be gunshots and some of the victims had multiple gunshot wounds. Clevenger declined to disclose the exact number of shots fired since there is an active investigation He added that all the victims were in different locations in the house.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Inman shooting suspect arrested in Georgia, all victims identified