In the quiet community of Barnwell, South Carolina, the life of 21-year-old Jasmine Shantel Roach was tragically cut short on October 15, 2023. A young woman with a vibrant spirit, Jasmine was attending a large gathering on Quail Road when gunfire erupted, shattering the night and leaving a scene of chaos. When law enforcement arrived, they found a distressing scene with an estimated 75 to 125 people present and multiple gunshot victims.
Jasmine, who was four months pregnant, was among
those struck by the bullets. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but ultimately succumbed to her injuries. An autopsy later confirmed that a gunshot wound was the cause of her death. Five other individuals were also injured in the shooting but were treated at area hospitals and released. In the immediate aftermath of the violence, the investigation was handed over to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division as authorities appealed to the public for any information that could lead to an arrest, with no eyewitnesses initially coming forward.
The investigation into Jasmine's death took a troubling turn with the wrongful arrest of Ty'Ran Tyrell Dixon, a former college football player. Despite his claims of innocence and evidence suggesting a case of mistaken identity, Dixon was incarcerated for more than two months. It was later revealed that his name was similar to the actual suspect's. Dixon has since filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Barnwell County Sheriff's Department, alleging false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and negligence. The lawsuit claims that investigators had received a tip with the correct suspect's name, Tyren Dickson, shortly after the murder but failed to act on it, leading to the wrongful arrest of Dixon.
Fourteen months after the fatal shooting, a significant development occurred in the case. On December 23, 2024, the Barnwell County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the SLED Fugitive Team, arrested 27-year-old Tyren Romell Dickson of Columbia, S.C. He was charged with murder, attempted murder, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Dickson was booked into the Barnwell County Detention Center and was denied bond. While an arrest has been made, the case against him is still pending as the community continues to seek justice for Jasmine and her unborn child.
