On a tragic evening in Sumter, South Carolina, 57-year-old Joyce Ann Bennett, a Black/African American female, lost her life in a violent encounter on June 11, 2021. The incident unfolded at her sister's former residence on Roxbury Court, where Sumter Police Department officers responded to an assault call around 8:15 p.m. Upon their arrival, they discovered Ms. Bennett deceased at the scene.
Her sister, Lorraine Doretha Bennett, was also found with severe injuries and was rushed to a hospital in Columbia in critical condition.
The investigation into the violent altercation pointed to a domestic dispute. Authorities identified two individuals, 51-year-old Mustafa Abdur Salaam and his 46-year-old fiancée, France Pascale Metellus, as being involved. Salaam had previously been in a relationship with Lorraine Bennett, who had recently relocated from Sumter to Manning. An argument reportedly broke out when Salaam and Metellus arrived at the Roxbury Court home, which escalated to the point of shots being fired.
Following the incident, both Salaam and Metellus fled the scene in separate vehicles. However, law enforcement officials were able to locate and apprehend them at a local hotel. Mustafa Abdur Salaam was subsequently charged with murder and attempted murder for his role in the fatal shooting of Joyce Ann Bennett and the severe injuring of her sister. France Pascale Metellus faced charges of accessory after the fact to murder and accessory after the fact to attempted murder. During a court appearance, both suspects were denied bond.
