In the early evening of a Sunday in Spartanburg, South Carolina, a family dispute tragically escalated, leaving one woman dead and her sister wounded. Marisa Lashae Dowdle, a 29-year-old female, was fatally shot in the head on October 13, 2024. The incident unfolded at a residence on Foxborough Road where an argument turned violent.
The man authorities identified as the shooter was 38-year-old Tyrone Douglas Brown of Spartanburg.
Brown was at the home to visit his child, whose mother, another sister of Marisa's, had passed away the previous year. An argument broke out between Brown and Marisa and her sister. The verbal altercation quickly escalated into a physical one. Brown then pulled out a firearm and shot one of the sisters inside the house. When Marisa Dowdle chased him outside, he shot her as well.
Their mother, who was present during the altercation, immediately called 911 around 5:30 p.m. to report the shooting. She provided deputies with Brown's name, a description of his clothing, and the direction he had fled on foot. Responding officers found Marisa Dowdle in the road and her sister shot inside the home. Marisa was pronounced dead at the scene, while her sister was transported to the hospital with injuries she was expected to survive.
Deputies located Tyrone Douglas Brown walking a short distance from the scene of the shooting and took him into custody. During questioning, Brown claimed he acted in self-defense. However, evidence gathered at the scene, along with statements from the surviving sister and other witnesses, contradicted his account. Brown was arrested and charged with murder, assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. He was booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center, and a bond hearing was scheduled for the following afternoon.
