In the late summer of 2014, the life of 19-year-old J'Quayl Port'ee Frazier was tragically cut short in Lancaster, South Carolina. On the evening of Wednesday, September 10, Frazier was at his uncle's home on Taylor Street. What began as a seemingly ordinary night was shattered by the sound of six or seven gunshots, initially mistaken for firecrackers. Following the sounds, Frazier's uncle and another nephew discovered him in the backyard, struggling to breathe from a gunshot wound to the back.
He died that day from his injuries.
Family members described J'Quayl as a good kid who was actively looking for a job to support his girlfriend and their one-year-old son, Ethan. His uncle, who had become a father figure to him, could not imagine who would have a reason to harm him, stating that he didn't believe his nephew had any enemies. The pain of J'Quayl's violent death was compounded by a hauntingly similar tragedy that had struck the family years earlier. In May 2008, J'Quayl's father, Harry Frazier Jr., was also shot and killed in Lancaster. That case, too, remained unsolved. Family members believed that the loss of his father had a profound impact on J'Quayl's life.
In the immediate aftermath of J'Quayl's death, the Lancaster Police Department, with assistance from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, began an investigation. Investigators found several shell casings across the street from the scene of the shooting, and a bullet hole in the home's air conditioner unit and wall. At the time of the initial reports, police had not identified any suspects or a motive for the shooting, and there was no description of anyone or any vehicle seen leaving the area. As of late 2014, no arrests had been made in connection with the murder of J'Quayl Frazier.
