In the spring of 2018, a wave of violence shattered the community of Hopkins, South Carolina, culminating in the tragic death of 17-year-old Amon Rice. The male teenager was fatally shot on May 10, 2018, in a rural area on Greenlake Drive, near the Unity Missionary Baptist Church. He succumbed to his injuries two days later in a Columbia hospital. His mother remembered him as a supportive friend, stating that on the night of the shooting, he was defending a younger classmate who was being
bullied.
What began as 'teenage drama' escalated into a deadly confrontation. Investigators revealed that a dispute at Lower Richland High School, where Rice was a student and two-sport athlete, preceded the shooting. This initial conflict led to a large brawl at a community event in Eastover. Following the fight, the two groups involved agreed to meet to settle their differences. This meeting, however, was no ordinary fight; it was a pre-planned shootout. Both groups arrived armed, and in the ensuing chaos, nearly 60 bullets were fired. Amon Rice was struck by the gunfire, and another teenager sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities later stated that Rice was armed but it was unclear if he fired his weapon. They also indicated he was not the intended target.
The investigation into Amon Rice's death resulted in one of the largest homicide cases in terms of arrests for the Richland County Sheriff's Department. A total of 22 individuals, including several juveniles and even parents of some of the teens, were arrested and faced a range of charges. The charges varied from murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime to accessory before and after the fact.
Among the first to be arrested was Shytori Nikia Davenport, 21, who was charged with murder. Soon after, his mother, Winyah Nynete Gaither, 40, and his sisters, 25-year-old Kieauna Shykeria Davenport and 18-year-old Kerria Darnashia Davenport, were also taken into custody. Gaither was charged with murder, while her daughters faced accessory charges. As the investigation unfolded, more suspects were identified and apprehended. The extensive list of those charged included Sandarrell Davenport, 39, Alphonso Squire, 40, Mikoyah Harvin, 21, and a 17-year-old, all charged as accessories. Further arrests brought in Jordan Terrell Myer, 20, Kenneth Roger Robinson Jr., 18, and a 15-year-old, who all faced murder charges. Jewayne Marquise Price, 18, Twana Ivery, 39, and Thaiyeah Keisha Keel, 18, were among those charged as accessories. The sheriff's department utilized social media videos of the preceding fight and the shooting itself to identify and bring charges against those involved in the deadly altercation.
