In the summer of 2019, a tragic event unfolded in Abbeville, South Carolina, resulting in the death of 24-year-old Johntavier T. Moss, a Black male also known as 'Dooley'. On June 23rd, Moss, his 26-year-old cousin Steven Tinch, and their 62-year-old grandmother, Shirley Jean Jones, were fatally shot in an apartment complex on Cambridge Street. The incident, which also left a fourth individual wounded, stemmed from a pre-meditated armed robbery.
The person responsible for the triple
homicide was identified as 19-year-old Elijah Ty Rez Head. Head had arranged to meet Moss and Tinch at the apartment under the pretext of purchasing or trading firearms. However, his true intention was to rob them. An altercation broke out, during which Head brandished a gun and shot Tinch and Jones. Moss was also shot during this initial confrontation but managed to call 911 for help.
Tragically, Head, who had fled the scene with two female companions, returned to the apartment minutes later. He found Moss on the phone with emergency dispatchers and shot him five times, ensuring his death. A 24-year-old man who had entered the apartment to help the victims was also shot multiple times by Head but survived his injuries and was later able to identify the shooter to investigators.
Law enforcement launched a search for the suspect, and Elijah Ty Rez Head was apprehended the following evening at a motel in Greenwood. He was subsequently charged with three counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. In November 2020, Head pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 50 years in prison without the possibility of parole. Two teenagers, Ta'Zaria Idejah Curry and Daijeanne Lee Hamilton, were also charged with accessory to murder after the fact for assisting Head after the killings.
