On a summer evening in Conway, South Carolina, Christopher Mitchell was spending time with his family outside an apartment. The 32-year-old Black man was seated with his two-year-old son and the child’s mother, Malayasia Garner, when their lives were shattered by a sudden and brutal act of violence.
The attack occurred on Saturday, July 9, 2022, at the Shady Moss Apartments. Around 11:15 p.m., a black 2018 Jeep Cherokee entered the complex and passed by the family.
The driver, Jaquan Frinks, then backed into a parking space where he could watch them for several minutes. He pulled the vehicle out, stopped in the roadway directly in front of where the family was sitting, and an accomplice in the passenger seat rolled down the window. The passenger opened fire on the family with a .223-caliber rifle. Frinks then drove the Jeep forward a few feet to another opening between parked cars, allowing the shooter to fire a second volley. Evidence showed that at least sixteen bullets were fired at the family.
Christopher Mitchell was struck six times by the gunfire. Malayasia Garner managed to pick up her son and run for safety inside their home, but not before she was shot in her right eye, an injury that caused a permanent loss of vision. The couple’s young son was physically unharmed. When Conway police officers arrived at the scene, they found Mitchell and Garner with severe gunshot wounds. Both were rushed to Conway Medical Center, but Mitchell succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead in the early hours of July 10.
Investigators with the Conway Police Department immediately began working the case, initially asking the public for information about a dark-colored SUV seen in the area. The investigation later revealed that between July 6 and July 17, the driver had communicated with others about his plans to commit the murder and later dispose of the vehicle. Eleven days after the shooting, on July 20, 2022, authorities arrested 21-year-old Jaquan Frinks. He was charged with the murder of Christopher Mitchell and the attempted murder of Malayasia Garner.
Following a week-long trial, Jaquan Frinks was convicted of murder. On January 30, 2026, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The accomplice who fired the rifle has not been apprehended, and the case remains active as of January 2026.
