In the early morning hours of March 17, 2017, the quiet of a hotel near Columbia, South Carolina, was shattered by an act of violence that claimed the life of 23-year-old Dontre’yal Weathersbee. A Black male from Columbia, Weathersbee was discovered deceased inside a room at the Country Inn and Suites on Piney Grove Road. The Lexington County Coroner confirmed that he had sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
Lexington County Sheriff's Department deputies were called to the scene around 4:40
a.m. and immediately began an investigation into the suspicious death. Detectives interviewed potential witnesses and crime scene investigators collected evidence from the hotel room in an effort to piece together the events that led to the shooting. An autopsy was scheduled to officially determine the cause of death.
In the immediate aftermath, law enforcement officials did not release information about a possible motive or any potential suspects. The Lexington County Sheriff's Department urged anyone with information to come forward and contact Crimestoppers, offering anonymity and a potential cash reward for tips leading to an arrest. Despite these initial efforts, there have been no subsequent public announcements regarding any arrests made or suspects identified in the killing of Dontre’yal Weathersbee. The case, like many others involving gun violence, left a family and community searching for answers that have yet to come.
