In the early morning hours of September 8, 2019, a burst of gunfire shattered the peace at a Sunoco gas station on Broad Street in Sumter, South Carolina, leaving 30-year-old Gregory Donta Middleton dead at the scene. The incident, which erupted around 1:00 a.m. at the Hop In convenience store, also claimed the life of Middleton's 30-year-old cousin, Michael Rogers, who was transported to Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Authorities would later describe the shooting as a result of rival gang activity.
Gregory, known to his loved ones as 'Donta' and 'D-Black,' was a Sumter native, born on November 26, 1988. A 2007 graduate of Sumter High School, where he played both basketball and football, he was remembered by his family as a loving and kind man with a good heart who enjoyed cooking and spending time with his family and friends. His mother, Lavandia 'Pam' Wilson, described the immense pain of losing her son, stating, 'My world went to an end... it went to an end when I lose my... precious baby.'
The investigation into the deadly shooting led to the identification and arrest of several individuals. Police identified Joquell Wanye Myers, 23, of Mayesville, as the man who shot and killed Gregory Donta Middleton. Myers was subsequently charged with murder, attempted murder, unlawful carry of a firearm, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He was taken into custody and held at the Sumter County Sheriff's Office Detention Center. Another man, Diontrae Epps, 26, was charged with the murder of Michael Rogers, as well as unlawful carry of a firearm and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Several other men present at the scene were also taken into custody on charges of unlawful carry of a firearm.
In the years that followed, the legal process unfolded for those accused in the fatal shooting. In September 2023, Joquell Myers was found guilty of attempted murder of another victim who was shot that night and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, receiving a sentence of 20 years. In September 2023, a jury found Diontrae Epps guilty of the murder of Michael Rogers and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He was sentenced to life in prison.
