In the early morning hours of Sunday, August 4, 2024, a dispute in a parking lot in the Rembert community of Sumter County, South Carolina, escalated with tragic consequences. The altercation, which involved threats and the brandishing of firearms, culminated in a fatal shooting on Dinkins Mill Road around 6 a.m. Jaquan Marquell Jefferson, a 32-year-old man, was struck by a gunshot while he was a passenger in a vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was not injured.
Jefferson was rushed to Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries.
The events that led to the shooting reportedly began with a heated argument between Jefferson and two individuals. Following an investigation and interviews with witnesses, the Sumter County Sheriff's Office identified 35-year-old Terone Justin McCray and 28-year-old Nia Laprece Wright, both of Rembert, as the suspects in the shooting. Arrest warrants were issued for both individuals, and law enforcement began a search.
A few days later, on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, McCray and Wright surrendered to the Sumter County Sheriff's Office. They were arrested and served with warrants for murder. As the investigation continued, additional charges were filed against the pair, including attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle. A judge denied bond for both McCray and Wright, and they are being held at the Sumter County Sheriff's Office Detention Center while they await trial.
