In the early evening of June 29, 2017, in Lancaster, South Carolina, a tragic event unfolded that would claim the life of 22-year-old Markevis La'Breece Foster. The young Black man was outside the Palmetto Place Apartments with his best friend, 21-year-old Rakeem Patterson, and another individual. They were reportedly playing cards when a vehicle, a Subaru, drove into the apartment complex parking lot.
Suddenly, gunfire erupted from the car in a drive-by shooting that shattered the calm of the evening.
The hail of bullets struck all three men. Patterson was pronounced dead at the scene, while Foster was grievously wounded. Emergency services rushed Foster to Carolinas Medical Center, but despite their efforts, he succumbed to his injuries. The third victim survived with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. According to Foster's mother, her son was shot after he went to help his friend, Patterson, who had already been struck by the gunfire. Family members of both young men were adamant that they were not involved in gangs and were unsure why they would be targeted in such a violent manner.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly led law enforcement to identify potential suspects. The day after the shooting, 36-year-old Courtney Javon McCain turned himself in to the Lancaster Police Department. Authorities charged him with accessory after the fact of murder, alleging that he was the driver of the Subaru used in the attack. The search for the shooter continued, and soon after, police made a second arrest.
Damarcus Marsh, 24, was taken into custody and faced the most serious charges in connection with the deadly shooting. The Lancaster Police Department charged him with two counts of murder for the deaths of Markevis Foster and Rakeem Patterson, as well as one count of attempted murder for the third victim who survived. Marsh also faced charges for possession of a firearm during a violent crime. While the arrests brought a sense of progress in the case, the motive behind the senseless act of violence remained unclear to the public and the grieving families.
