In the fall of 2019, the life of 23-year-old Derrick 'Snacks' Davontrez Slater, a Black male from Sumter, South Carolina, was tragically cut short. Slater was reported missing on October 22, 2019, after he failed to return home from his job as a manager at a McDonald's in Camden. His family grew concerned, and a search was initiated. The search came to a grim end on October 26, 2019, when his body was discovered along Scales Road in Sumter County.
An autopsy later confirmed that Slater had died from a gunshot wound.
The investigation into Slater's death, which was quickly ruled a homicide, led to the arrest of a 15-year-old male from the Rembert community. The teenager was taken into custody and charged with murder. He was subsequently detained at the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia. The Sumter County Sheriff's Office indicated that the investigation was ongoing and that more arrests were anticipated. They also suggested that robbery appeared to be the preliminary motive for the senseless act of violence.
A year later, in connection with Slater's death, a second suspect, 18-year-old Sheron Tyshaud Robinson, turned himself in to authorities on October 28, 2020. Robinson was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. The community mourned the loss of Slater, who was remembered as a beloved and hardworking young man. He was eagerly anticipating the birth of his first child. In the days following the discovery of his body, hundreds gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor his memory, releasing 23 balloons to symbolize his 23 years of life.
