In the quiet town of Dillon, South Carolina, the life of 31-year-old Avery Ryan Blackmon, a male resident, was tragically cut short on the evening of Friday, March 13, 2026. Around 8:18 p.m., officers from the Dillon Police Department responded to a call on West Calhoun Street where they discovered Blackmon unresponsive, lying on the ground with an apparent gunshot wound.
The Dillon County Coroner pronounced him deceased at the scene, and his death was investigated as a homicide.
The investigation into the shooting led authorities to identify a suspect. On Wednesday, March 18, 2026, the City of Dillon Police Department, with the assistance of the Dillon County Sheriff's Office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division took 31-year-old Matthew Lee Scarborough, Jr., also of Dillon, into custody within the city limits.
Following his arrest, Scarborough was charged with murder, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was subsequently transported to the Dillon County Detention Center to await a bond hearing. While an arrest has been made, authorities have stated that the investigation into the death of Avery Blackmon remains active and ongoing.
