In the early evening of June 22, 2015, a street in Orangeburg, South Carolina, became the scene of a sudden and fatal encounter. That night, 29-year-old Kendall Thomas, a Black male, approached a gray Honda Accord that had pulled up on Aaron Street. As he leaned in to speak with the driver, the conversation took a tragic turn. A single gunshot rang out, striking Thomas in the abdomen and forever altering the lives of those involved.
Kendall Thomas was rushed to the Regional Medical
Center in a private vehicle, but the severity of his injury proved to be too great. He succumbed to the gunshot wound, leaving a community to grapple with the senseless violence that had claimed one of its own. The Orangeburg County Sheriff's department immediately launched an investigation into the shooting, working to piece together the events that led to Thomas's untimely death.
The investigation quickly pointed to 22-year-old Deonte Pelzer of Bowman as the driver of the Honda Accord and the individual responsible for firing the fatal shot. Eyewitnesses at the scene were able to identify Pelzer, providing crucial information to law enforcement. The day after the shooting, on June 23, 2015, authorities located Pelzer at an apartment complex in St. George. He was taken into custody without incident and subsequently charged with the murder of Kendall Thomas.
Following his arrest, Deonte Pelzer was scheduled to appear in court, and the legal process to seek justice for Kendall Thomas began to unfold. The case garnered significant attention within the Orangeburg community, as residents mourned the loss of Thomas and awaited the resolution of the legal proceedings against the man accused of ending his life.
