In a tragic event on March 21, 2023, in Sumter, South Carolina, 6-year-old Aason Holliday-Slacks, a Black male, was killed. The young boy was fatally shot while he was sleeping in his bed. This horrific act was part of a multiple murder-suicide perpetrated by his 42-year-old father, Charles Slacks Jr.
On that Tuesday evening, at approximately 10 p.m., Charles Slacks Jr. used a key to enter the home where his children lived.
He first went to the backyard and shot and killed 38-year-old Command Sergeant Major Carlos Evans. Evans was a colleague of the children's mother, Aletha Holliday. After shooting Evans, Slacks went inside the house and proceeded upstairs where the children were asleep.
In their bedrooms, Charles Slacks Jr. shot and killed Aason, his 5-year-old brother Aayden Holliday-Slacks, and their 11-year-old half-sister, Ava Holliday. The children's mother, who was present at the home, witnessed parts of the tragic event. After killing the three children and Carlos Evans, Charles Slacks Jr. took his own life.
The motive for the killings has not been definitively stated, but it was noted that Charles Slacks Jr. and Aletha Holliday had recently divorced. The Sumter community was left in shock and mourning following the devastating loss of life. The Sumter School District, where Aason and his siblings were students, provided counselors to support students and staff. Since the perpetrator died by suicide at the scene, there were no arrests made in connection with this case.
