On Christmas night of 2021, a burst of violence shattered the holiday peace in Lugoff, South Carolina, leaving a family mourning and a community in search of answers. Jerry Lee “Bubba” Trimnal Jr., a 43-year-old man from Lugoff, was fatally shot on Horsehead Lane. The Kershaw County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of the shooting at approximately 8:20 p.m.
and found Trimnal deceased at the scene from a gunshot wound.
In the immediate aftermath, authorities began a search for two men who were seen leaving the area in a dark-colored vehicle, possibly a Nissan Altima. The investigation into Trimnal's death continued for several weeks, culminating in an arrest in January 2022. The Kershaw County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Sumter County Sheriff's Office, took 21-year-old Tyrease Omar Johnson of Dalzell into custody. Johnson was subsequently charged with the murder of Jerry Trimnal. He was booked into the Kershaw County Detention Center. Information regarding a motive for the shooting was not publicly released, and it remains unclear if a second suspect was ever identified or apprehended.
