In the late summer evening of August 2, 2020, in Lancaster, South Carolina, the life of 18-year-old Tyreak Stevens was tragically cut short. Stevens was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the parking lot of the Sycamore Run Apartments on Miller Street. Emergency services were called to the scene following reports of gunfire, but despite their efforts, Stevens was pronounced dead at the location.
The incident was one of a string of six shootings that plagued the city of Lancaster over a period of just eight days, creating a climate of fear and urgency for local law enforcement.
The investigation into the death of the male teenager quickly pointed towards a suspect, another local teen named Dondrako Martellous Howze Jr., who was 17 at the time of the shooting. In the days following the incident, the Lancaster Police Department issued arrest warrants for Howze, seeking him on charges of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. The search for the suspect concluded when Howze voluntarily surrendered to authorities at the Lancaster Police Department.
Following his surrender, Dondrako Howze Jr. was charged as an adult in connection with the fatal shooting of Tyreak Stevens. The charges brought against him were murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. Under South Carolina law, a conviction for murder carries a potential sentence of 30 years to life in prison. Howze was scheduled for an initial court appearance before a Lancaster County magistrate following his arrest.
