In the quiet evening of January 16, 2021, the life of 17-year-old Tharon Orlando Jackson II was tragically cut short on Carver Street in Florence, South Carolina. A Black male, Tharon was found lying in the roadway by police who were responding to reports of a shooting at approximately 8:53 p.m. He had sustained a fatal gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Florence Police Department immediately launched an investigation into the violent death of the teenager.
The Florence County Coroner's Office confirmed Tharon's identity and an autopsy was scheduled to be performed at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston to officially determine the cause of death. As the investigation progressed, it became clear that Tharon was the victim of a homicide, sending ripples of grief and concern through the local community.
After weeks of investigation, a break in the case came on March 23, 2021, with the arrest of 20-year-old Antwan Khyre Javera Holmes. He was apprehended in North Carolina and extradited back to Florence to face charges in connection with Tharon's death. Holmes was subsequently booked at the Florence County Detention Center.
Authorities charged Antwan Holmes with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. At the time of this arrest, Holmes was already facing pending charges of murder and armed robbery from a separate incident that occurred in Darlington County in February 2018. While a bond was set at $40,000 for the weapon charge, he was required to appear before a circuit court judge for a bond hearing on the murder charge. The Florence Police Department continued to encourage anyone with information regarding the shooting to come forward as the legal proceedings against Holmes commenced, seeking to bring justice to Tharon Orlando Jackson II and his grieving family.
