In the early morning hours of May 3, 2023, the quiet of Wadmalaw Island was shattered by the sound of gunfire, a series of events that would culminate in the tragic death of 18-year-old De’Andre X. Tommie. A senior at St. John's High School and a varsity basketball player, De'Andre was found deceased inside a car parked outside a home on Roseville Road at approximately 6:30 a.m.
Residents in the area later reported to sheriff's deputies that they had heard gunshots during the night but had not alerted law enforcement at the time.
The Charleston County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene and immediately began a homicide investigation. De'Andre had sustained a fatal gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. The community was left reeling from the loss of the young man who was on the cusp of graduation. His funeral was later held in the auditorium of his high school, a testament to the life he had led and the impact he had on his peers and community.
The investigation into De'Andre's death led to a series of arrests over the following weeks. On May 9, detectives took 22-year-old Davaun Augustus Hamilton of Johns Island into custody, charging him with murder and possession of a firearm in a violent crime. Two weeks later, on May 23, a second suspect, 18-year-old Jahsir Tymer Gadsden of Wadmalaw Island, was arrested on a murder charge. The final arrest came on June 13, when 18-year-old Nyasia Unique Jones, also of Wadmalaw Island, turned herself in to authorities. She was charged with murder and possession of a firearm in a violent crime. All three suspects were booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center.
