In the quiet community of Sumter, South Carolina, a gathering of acquaintances took a tragic turn on the evening of March 18, 2026, ending in the death of 22-year-old Ladae Barnes. The Sumter County Sheriff's Office responded to a call about a shooting at a residence on Highway 15 South at approximately 9:26 p.m. Upon their arrival, deputies found Barnes with injuries from which they attempted to render aid, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation that followed the
fatal shooting led to the arrest of two individuals. Shalaya Jermyra Jackson, a 26-year-old from Sumter, was taken into custody and charged with manslaughter. Also arrested was 25-year-old Gabriel Sentel Jacobs, Jr., of Sumter, who faced a charge of possession of a handgun by a person convicted of a violent crime.
Following the arrests, both Jackson and Jacobs were held at the Sumter County Sheriff's Office Detention Center as they awaited a bond hearing. The Sumter County Coroner's Office confirmed the identity of the victim and scheduled an autopsy to be performed at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting is ongoing.
