In the summer of 2022, a promising life was tragically cut short in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Jaqwaun Tamar Mills, a 24-year-old man, was fatally shot on the evening of July 26 at the Quail Pointe Apartments on East Blackstock Road. A student of welding at Spartanburg Community College and an employee at Outback Steakhouse, his death sent ripples of shock and grief through his community.
The incident was particularly harrowing as it unfolded in the presence of his girlfriend and goddaughter.
The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office responded to a call about the shooting around 9:30 p.m. and found Mills in the parking lot with at least one gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and his death was ruled a homicide by the Spartanburg County Coroner's Office. Witnesses at the apartment complex provided crucial information that quickly pointed investigators toward the individuals allegedly responsible for the senseless act of violence.
The investigation led to the swift arrest of two teenagers, aged 15 and 16. Despite their ages, they faced serious charges, including murder, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, and grand larceny. Authorities also announced they were searching for a third juvenile suspect in connection with the fatal shooting. The young suspects were also implicated in a car theft from the same apartment complex where the shooting occurred, with investigators recovering two firearms near the scene. The two arrested teens were taken into custody and held at the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia.
