In the late afternoon of December 30, 2022, a single gunshot shattered the calm of Treadwell Street in Orangeburg, South Carolina, leaving a young man dying in the middle of the road. That man was 29-year-old Ryan Daniel Brice Jones, a Black male known affectionately as 'Danny' to his friends and family. The tragic event unfolded at approximately 3:20 p.m. when a vehicle pulled up to Jones's home.
A woman present at the scene later recounted to investigators how an individual in the vehicle had asked for Jones. She informed the person that Jones was there, and the individual in the car then asked her to tell Jones to 'Come here.'
Jones went to the passenger side of the vehicle and was speaking to someone inside when the fatal shot was fired. The car then sped away, heading towards Amelia Street, leaving Jones lying in the road. When police officers arrived, they found Jones, dressed in sneakers, track-style pants, and a hoodie, with a faint pulse. They immediately began chest compressions, continuing until Orangeburg County EMS arrived. Despite their efforts, Jones could not be saved and was pronounced dead at the scene. His mother, Lalisa Jones, arrived to the heartbreaking scene as first responders were performing CPR on her son.
In the days following the shooting, the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety identified Cristyon “Diddy” Labaron Evans, a 36-year-old man with a history of violent crime, as the suspect. In May 2024, Evans was taken into custody at a home in Orangeburg by ODPS officers with assistance from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. He was subsequently charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. During his arraignment, Evans claimed the incident was a 'real misunderstanding' and requested a low bond, a plea that was denied by the judge.
Lalisa Jones spoke emotionally in court about the profound loss of her son, whom she described as a caring individual who loved animals and respected women. She shared that it had taken her and her husband seven years to conceive their only son and that he was a beloved father to his own child. Ryan Jones was remembered by loved ones for his loving spirit, sense of humor, and generosity. Evans has a criminal record that includes a prison sentence for domestic violence and separate convictions for assault and drug charges. Due to the nature of the charges against him, a municipal judge could not set his bond, and the matter was to be considered by a circuit judge at a later date.
