In the early morning hours of Sunday, October 13, 2024, a tragic event unfolded in a downtown Gaffney, South Carolina parking lot, leaving a young man dead. The victim was identified as Tyler O’Bryan Littlejohn, a 29-year-old Black male. The incident that claimed his life occurred shortly before 2 a.m. in the Limestone Square parking lot.
Reports indicate that Littlejohn had been at Baller's Lounge on Birnie Street earlier in the evening, accompanied by a woman.
After leaving the nightclub, they returned to the parking lot. It was there, while Littlejohn was standing outside a vehicle, that a confrontation escalated. Witnesses stated that a verbal and physical altercation took place between Littlejohn and a woman who was seated in the back of the car. In the midst of this dispute, multiple gunshots were fired.
City of Gaffney police officers responded to a call about a shooting with injuries at 1:58 a.m. Upon arrival, they discovered Littlejohn in the parking lot with several gunshot wounds. The Cherokee County Coroner, Dennis Fowler, pronounced him dead at the scene. An autopsy was planned to assist in the ongoing investigation.
Following the shooting, investigators with the Gaffney Police Department began interviewing witnesses and were able to quickly identify a suspect. They arrested 26-year-old Jondaijah Driana McNeil in connection with Littlejohn's death. McNeil was taken into custody and charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. In November 2024, a bond hearing was held for McNeil as the legal proceedings in the case commenced.
