Imani Yasmine Sade Clemons was an 18-year-old Black female from Anderson, South Carolina, whose life was ended by violence in a year that had already brought immense tragedy to her family. Just five months before her death, in July 2022, Imani’s 19-year-old brother, Shy’heem Re’quan Kalil Clemons, had also been shot and killed.
On the evening of December 29, 2022, a shooting broke out at the Fairview Gardens Apartments on Fairview Road. Anderson police responded around 9:30 p.m.
to what they believed was a dispute between several individuals. Inside one of the apartments, officers found Imani with a fatal gunshot wound to her head. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other people, a man and a woman, were also shot and injured during the incident and were taken to a local hospital.
The Anderson Police Department’s investigation led to the arrests of two men. The first suspect, Mikial Hykeem Ferguson, was taken into custody and charged with murder and other violent crimes. He was denied bond. In June 2023, authorities arrested a second suspect, Nigel Barner, in connection with Imani’s death. He faced a series of charges that included murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, and burglary. Barner was also held without bond.
During the trial for both men, prosecutors laid out a case showing that the violence was planned. They presented evidence that on the day of the shooting, Barner and Ferguson had stolen an AR-style rifle during an armed robbery. They then took the weapon to the apartment complex and fired more than 20 rounds into an apartment, killing Imani and wounding two others. Witnesses testified to seeing the men with the rifle before the shooting and driving them to the scene. One witness also testified that she later drove Ferguson to a bridge, where she believed he threw the murder weapon into the water.
In November 2025, a jury found both Mikial Ferguson and Nigel Barner guilty on all charges, including two counts of murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, burglary, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Following the verdict, both men were sentenced for their roles in Imani's death.
