In the quiet city of Sumter, South Carolina, the life of 35-year-old Travis Desmond Rouse, a Black male, was cut short in a sudden and tragic incident. On the evening of November 23, 2024, Rouse was brought to the emergency room of Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital with a gunshot wound to his upper torso. Despite the efforts of medical staff, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
The initial circumstances surrounding the shooting were shrouded in mystery, as the location of
the incident was unknown to authorities. The Sumter Police Department and the Sumter County Coroner's Office launched an investigation into what was being treated as a homicide. As they pieced together the events of that fateful evening, a clearer picture began to emerge of a reckless act with devastating consequences.
The investigation led authorities to a residence on Utah Circle, where the shooting had taken place. It was there that Travis Rouse and another man, Xavier Daichaun Bennett, were reported to have been recklessly pointing handguns at one another. During this dangerous exchange, Bennett's firearm discharged, firing a single shot that struck Rouse. In the immediate aftermath, it was Bennett himself who drove Rouse to the hospital, leaving him in the care of the medical team before departing.
As the investigation progressed, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division took the lead, and on December 13, 2024, an arrest was made. Xavier Daichaun Bennett was charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Travis Desmond Rouse. At the time the warrant was served, Bennett was already incarcerated at the Sumter County detention center on an unrelated family court charge. He was denied bond for the manslaughter charge. The investigation concluded that the shooting was the unintentional result of mishandling the firearm during a reckless act.
