Darrin Demitrius Harrison, a 27-year-old Black male resident of Orangeburg, South Carolina, passed away on August 2, 2019, at Prisma Health Richland Hospital in Columbia. Born in Orangeburg to Angela Johnson and the late Anthony Harrison, he was a graduate of Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School and had recently earned a Culinary Arts Certificate. He was known for his love of sports, reading, and spending time with his family, including his two young sons.
His death was the result of gun
violence stemming from an incident on Graham Street, where he resided. On the afternoon of Sunday, July 21, 2019, law enforcement officers responded to a shooting at a residence on Graham Street. According to reports from the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office, a group of men were standing outside a home when a vehicle passed by and its occupants opened fire. The victims attempted to take cover but were struck by the gunfire before they could reach safety. Harrison was transported to a medical facility in Columbia, where he succumbed to his injuries nearly two weeks later.
Following the shooting, investigators tracked suspects to an apartment on Corona Street. When a SWAT team arrived and knocked on the door, they received no answer but heard a loud commotion inside. As officers prepared to breach the residence, two suspects, identified as 19-year-old Latavish Ulmer Jr. and 19-year-old Derian James, fell through the ceiling from the attic where they had been attempting to hide. A subsequent search of the apartment revealed a stolen. 45-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun hidden in a cereal box.
Police arrested four individuals in connection with the violence. Shyheim Lippman, 23, and Shavore Guinyard, 19, were taken into custody and initially charged with three counts of attempted murder and possession of a stolen pistol. Bond was denied for the attempted murder charges. Ulmer and James were charged with possession of a stolen pistol and malicious injury to personal property due to the damage caused to the apartment ceiling. The investigation revealed that Lippman had been out on bond for a previous weapons charge from a separate incident earlier that year.
