Chevelle Antoine Hamilton was a son of North Charleston, South Carolina, born on April 21, 1980. Remembered by friends and family, the 46-year-old man’s life was marked by the connections he made and the experiences he shared with those who had the privilege of knowing him. Though his life was cut tragically short, those who loved him were left to cherish the moments of laughter and support he offered, carrying his memory forward in their hearts.
His life, however, also had its struggles; public records show that in July 2025, over a year before his death, he was arrested and charged with distribution of a cocaine base following a months-long drug investigation in Charleston's Eastside neighborhood.
The final moments of Chevelle’s life unfolded on a Wednesday night in downtown Charleston. On October 14, 2026, around 10 p.m., the Charleston Police Department received calls reporting a shooting on South Street. Officers were dispatched to the scene, where they made a grim discovery. They found Chevelle Hamilton unresponsive. He had been shot in the neck and was pronounced dead at the scene. As police worked to secure the area and begin their investigation, they found a second victim, a 47-year-old woman, who was suffering from a gunshot wound inside a nearby home. She was wounded but alive.
The investigation, led by detectives from the Charleston Police Department, moved swiftly. It soon became clear to investigators that this was not a random act of violence. Police determined that Chevelle and the female victim knew their attacker. The shooting, they concluded, was the culmination of an argument with an acquaintance that centered around a drug transaction. The evidence gathered in the initial hours of the inquiry pointed detectives toward a single suspect.
Less than a day after the fatal shooting, police were ready to make an arrest. On Thursday, October 15, 2026, detectives with the Charleston Police Department took 35-year-old Susan Lee Wright, a resident of Charleston, into custody at the department’s headquarters. Wright was subsequently charged with a slate of serious crimes related to the incident on South Street. For Chevelle Hamilton’s death, she was charged with murder. For the injuries sustained by the second victim, she was charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. Additionally, she faced charges for possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and unlawful possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a violent offense.
Following her arrest and the formal charges, Susan Lee Wright was transported to the Charleston County Detention Center, where she was booked and held pending a bond hearing. As the legal process against Wright began, the Charleston Police Department stated that their investigation remained active. They publicly asked for anyone with information about the shooting to contact the on-duty Central Detective to share what they knew. The case against Wright is now proceeding through the court system.
While the justice system began its work, Chevelle’s loved ones prepared to honor his memory and say their final goodbyes. A visitation was planned for the evening of Friday, October 23, 2026, at the Greater Middleton Chapel AME Church. The following day, Saturday, October 24, a celebration of life service was scheduled to be held at the same church, followed by his burial at Johnson Cemetery. These services offered a space for family, friends, and community members to gather in their shared grief and remember the man they had lost.
