On the evening of September 18, 2024, William Lee Mathis Jr., a 42-year-old Black male, was riding his bicycle near the intersection of Columbia Avenue and Chesterfield Street in Aiken, South Carolina, when his life was tragically cut short. An attempted armed robbery escalated into a fatal encounter that would later lead to the arrest of two individuals.
According to authorities, Sabastyen Miles Greene, 22, approached Mathis and pointed a firearm at him in an effort to rob him.
An altercation ensued, during which Greene allegedly shot Mathis once in the chest. Following the shooting, Greene fled the scene. Officers with the Aiken Department of Public Safety responded to a report of a shooting and found Mathis unconscious. He was transported to Aiken Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into Mathis's death led police to identify Greene as the primary suspect. On December 20, 2024, Greene turned himself in to the Aiken Department of Public Safety. He has been charged with murder and weapon possession.
Further investigation revealed the involvement of a second individual. Tristen Jersey McCarty, 17, was identified as the driver of the getaway vehicle, a white 2000 Ford Explorer. Authorities allege that McCarty drove Greene to the scene of the crime, waited for him during the attempted robbery and shooting, and then drove him away from the area. Evidence, including a cup recovered at the scene with DNA that did not match Mathis, pointed to a second person's involvement. McCarty was arrested and charged with accessory before and after the fact to murder. Both Greene and McCarty are being held at the Aiken County Detention Center.
