In the quiet town of Westminster, South Carolina, the evening of August 23, 2021, was shattered by the sound of gunfire on Hobson Street. Responding to a call at approximately 6:30 p.m., Oconee County Sheriff's deputies arrived at a residence to a grim scene. Inside, they discovered the body of 54-year-old Rodney Johnson, an African-American male. He had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Initial witness accounts described a woman fleeing
the area shortly after the shots were fired. This led investigators to 37-year-old Carrie Leigh Tyner, who also resided at the Hobson Street address. The following day, Tyner was apprehended and subsequently charged with the murder of Rodney Johnson. She was held without bond as the community grappled with the violent death of one of its own.
However, the investigation took a dramatic turn just over a week later. On September 2, 2021, the murder charges against Carrie Leigh Tyner were dismissed. The Oconee County Sheriff's Office announced that while their investigation confirmed Tyner was present at the time of the shooting, they had uncovered no evidence to suggest she was an active participant in the murder.
Further investigation had led law enforcement to a new suspect, 34-year-old Phillip Ronald Miller of Swansea, SC. Miller was officially charged with the murder of Rodney Johnson. According to the arrest warrant, Miller was accused of shooting Johnson in the head and arm. The Oconee County Sheriff's Office continued their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Rodney Johnson, leaving a community to await the final chapter in a case that had already seen unexpected developments.
