Lancaster man dies after shooting outside Fort Mill gas station; police seek suspect

Cailyn Derickson, Andrew Dys
·2 min read

Fort Mill police are searching for an “armed and dangerous” suspect in what now is a murder case after a Lancaster man died from injuries in a shooting outside a gas station late Friday night.

Police are searching for 23-year-old Anquante El-Malik Lemel Watts, who is facing a murder charge, according to a press release from the Fort Mill Police Department.

As of Monday morning, Watts is still not in custody, Maj. Bryan Zachary told The Herald.

Sy’Veon My’Veon Howard, 25, from Lancaster, died Saturday at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, York County Coroner Sabrina Gast said.

Watts, who has black hair and brown eyes, is 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, the release said. He was last seen driving a gold-colored 2008 Honda Accord with a South Carolina license plate NPN 522, according to the release.

Watts should be considered “armed and dangerous,” police said.

The shooting happened shortly after 11 p.m. Friday. Officers found Howard with gunshot wounds, on the ground at a Circle K parking lot off U.S. 21., police said.

Officers determined shots were fired from a gold car that had two people inside. The car fled toward Interstate 77, police said.

2 York County fatal shootings in minutes: 1 dead in Rock Hill, 1 killed in Fort Mill

According to South Carolina court records, Watts was sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice in October 2019.

Watts also has a York County conviction for illegal possession of a gun from 2017, court records show.

Anyone with information about Watts should contact the Fort Mill Police Department at 803-547-2022 or Crime Stoppers of York County at 877-409-4321.

Rock Hill homicide

Shortly after the shooting in Fort Mill, a 29-year-old man was fatally shot just before midnight Friday in a driveway on Rich Street in Rock Hill. The victim, Harterius Massey, 29, of Winston-Salem, N.C., died at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, York County Coroner Sabrina Gast said.

Lt. Michael Chavis with the Rock Hill Police Department said Sunday night no arrests have been made in the murder case.

Detectives with the department’s criminal investigations division continued to work the case Saturday and Sunday and are following leads but detectives have not released any suspect information, Chavis said.

There is no indication that the two homicides are related, police said.

Check back for updates.