In the midst of a community plagued by a series of violent shootings, Martez Ke’Montae Hughes, a 21-year-old male, was fatally wounded on Friday, August 19, 2022. The incident occurred around midnight at a Citgo convenience store located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 321 and Ninth Street in Winnsboro, South Carolina. Hughes was inside the store and engaged in a fight with another man when a third individual shot him multiple times.
Emergency services transported him to Prisma Health Richland Hospital in Columbia, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries on Saturday, August 20, 2022.
The man accused of the shooting, 24-year-old Dydreekus Dwight McDaniel, was arrested by the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety. According to an incident report, McDaniel admitted to the shooting. He was subsequently booked into the Fairfield County Detention Center and has been charged with murder. The death of Martez Hughes occurred during a period of escalating violence in the area, which had seen at least ten drive-by shootings since April of that year, resulting in five other individuals being wounded. Law enforcement officials believe many of these incidents were retaliatory acts between rival groups.
Martez, known to his loved ones, was a former employee at MLILY Healthcare and had attended Fairfield Central High School. In his personal time, he enjoyed making music, playing basketball, and spending time with his young son and other family and friends. He was remembered for his ability to make people laugh and for the love he showed to those close to him. His death was a significant loss to his family, which includes his mother, son, and grandparents who raised him. Funeral services were held on August 29, 2022, at New Hope A.M.E. Church in Winnsboro, followed by his burial in the church cemetery.
