In the early morning hours of August 18, 2024, the sound of gunfire shattered the peace outside the Sleep Inn on Broad Street in Sumter, South Carolina. When police officers arrived around 4:30 a.m., they discovered the bodies of 19-year-old Demari Tyriq Spann and 20-year-old Saquan Logan. Both men, residents of Sumter, had sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
The scene was marked by bullet holes in the hotel building and shattered glass, a stark testament to the violence that had unfolded.
The investigation into the double homicide led authorities to two suspects from Wedgefield. On August 27, 2024, police arrested 23-year-old Toney Williams Jr. He was charged with accessory after the fact to murder, accused of helping the primary suspect evade law enforcement and hide evidence.
The man believed to be the shooter, 19-year-old Tavion Melki Mickens, was located in a Georgia jail where he was being held on unrelated charges of speeding and weapon possession. Mickens was extradited to Sumter on September 7, 2024, to face charges for the deaths of Spann and Logan. He was charged with two counts of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. The Sumter Police Department has continued to investigate the shooting and offered a reward for information that could lead to more arrests.
