Teresa Michelle Parkman, a 21-year-old white woman from Greenwood, South Carolina, died on November 11, 2019, after a gunshot tore through the quiet of a home on Taggart Avenue. The day ended with sirens and flashing lights, neighbors watching from porches, and a young life gone before help could change the outcome. She was also expecting a baby, and her family later named the unborn child Luna Grace Parkman.
Investigators said the shooting happened inside the residence, where Parkman
was beside her boyfriend, Shawn Patrick Burse. Police described Burse as being next to her while trying to operate a rifle when it discharged and struck her. When officers arrived, they reported that he was still at the scene and in possession of what they believed was the weapon involved.
The Greenwood County Coroner identified Parkman and said she died just before 5 p.m., with police indicating she died at the scene. Not long after, authorities announced an arrest: Burse, 18 at the time, was charged with involuntary manslaughter. Additional charges were filed as well, including possession of a stolen firearm, resisting arrest, and failure to stop on lawful command, and police noted the investigation was ongoing with the possibility of further charges.
In the wake of her death, tributes painted a fuller portrait than the stark facts of an incident report. She was born in Greenwood and worked at Greenwood Mills’ Harris Plant, and her family spoke of the heartbreak of losing both her and the baby she was carrying. The early coverage of the case focused on the immediate arrest and the charges filed, while later case outcomes were not consistently detailed in the online reporting that remains available.
