In the early evening of January 3, 2016, a dispute in the parking lot of a Dollar General on May River Road in Bluffton, South Carolina, ended in the shooting death of 29-year-old John Kinlaw. A male, Kinlaw was shot in the chest following an argument and died while being transported to the hospital. The incident marked the first homicide of the new year in Beaufort County.
The Bluffton Police Department quickly launched an investigation.
Within days, they arrested 17-year-old Kyron Primus of Hardeeville and charged him with murder. Investigators stated that they believed the shooting was not a random act of violence and that Kinlaw and Primus were acquainted. Shortly after, a second suspect, 24-year-old Kenneth Crivan Mitchell of Savannah, was also charged with murder in connection with Kinlaw's death.
Following the arrests, the community gathered for a candlelight vigil in the parking lot where Kinlaw was killed. Friends and family remembered him as a father and a beloved member of the community. His mother made a heartfelt plea to end gun violence. While the initial investigation hinted at a possible 'turf war,' authorities did not publicly release a definitive motive for the shooting. Information regarding the trials, convictions, or sentences for Kyron Primus and Kenneth Crivan Mitchell for the murder of John Kinlaw is not available in the provided search results. However, it is noted that Kenneth Crivan Mitchell was sentenced in May 2024 to 25 years in prison for unrelated drug and gun charges stemming from a 2020 incident.
