On a tragic day in Andrews, South Carolina, the life of 30-year-old Kimberly Rowell was cut short by an act of violence. On January 28, 2023, law enforcement responded to a call on Birch Creek Road where they discovered the bodies of Rowell and 52-year-old John David Leone. Both individuals had sustained fatal gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.
The grim discovery marked the beginning of a complex investigation into a double homicide that would soon be linked to another shooting.
Later that same day, authorities were dispatched to a second location on Acadian Lane in the Kingstree area. There, they found two more individuals who had also been shot. These victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries. As investigators delved into the two incidents, they determined that the shootings were connected, painting a picture of a violent and far-reaching event that spanned two different locations within Williamsburg County.
The investigation into the shootings led to the arrest of 36-year-old Lorenzo Cooper of Kingstree. He was taken into custody and faced a litany of charges related to the violent events of that day. The charges brought against him included two counts of murder for the deaths of Kimberly Rowell and John David Leone, two counts of attempted murder for the injuries sustained by the other two victims, two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and one count of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division assisted the Williamsburg County Sheriff's Office in the investigation that led to Cooper's arrest.
