On February 20, 2022, 36-year-old Black / African American male Jeremy Lenard McMillan was fatally shot in Lake City, South Carolina. The violent incident took place in the vicinity of Lassie Street, an event that contributed to a particularly turbulent period for the local community, as it marked the second death reported by the county coroner’s office in the area within a span of just three days.
Florence County Coroner Keith von Lutcken officially confirmed the death, classifying the case as a homicide.
Following the shooting, the Lake City Police Department launched an investigation to identify those responsible. Detectives eventually named 32-year-old Daryl Lanell Epps as a person of interest in connection with the killing. Law enforcement officials publicly sought Epps for questioning regarding the circumstances that led to the fatal gunfire and urged anyone with knowledge of his whereabouts to come forward. Despite identifying Epps as a central figure in the inquiry, no arrests have been publicly reported in direct connection with the murder as of the latest available updates, and the investigation remains active.
The case garnered additional attention due to McMillan's own history within the legal system, which became a point of discussion in reports surrounding his death. Records indicate that in 2006, he was involved in a high-profile shooting outside a nightclub in Lee County that resulted in two deaths and multiple injuries. Although initially convicted of murder, a 2012 appellate court decision ordered a new trial, leading to his convictions being reduced to voluntary manslaughter. He was released from prison in 2019, just three years prior to the shooting on Lassie Street that ended his life.
