In the early hours of a Sunday morning in Lexington, South Carolina, a talented and well-loved tattoo artist's life was tragically cut short. Michael Lewis Keaton, a 39-year-old male, was a man known for his artistic abilities, not only in the world of tattoos but also in music, where he was known to many as 'Mic Grippa'. He was a people person, someone who was said to have never met a stranger and who cherished his friends and family deeply.
His passion for his work at Lucky 7s Electric Tattoo Company was evident to those who knew him.
The events that led to his untimely death on January 31, 2021, began with a dispute at his place of work. An argument with a coworker, that had reportedly been ongoing throughout the previous day, escalated into a physical altercation after midnight. It was during this confrontation that Michael was fatally shot. The business on Platt Springs Road, a place of creativity and expression, became a crime scene, leaving the local community in shock.
In the hours that followed, law enforcement quickly identified a person of interest. Regin Nicreis Oakman, a 26-year-old from Lexington, was located and arrested at a home on Topaz Court later that same Sunday afternoon. He was taken into custody without incident and subsequently charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Oakman was transported to the Lexington County Detention Center to await a bond hearing. The investigation suggested that the shooting was the unfortunate culmination of the workplace argument between the two men.
