YORK, S.C. — The Rock Hill teen shot and killed in one of York’s most troubled neighborhoods was just months away from graduating high school.
The family of E-Monnie Dixon said the 17-year-old had dreams of becoming a psychologist. They told Channel 9 she spent most of her time raising her 2-month-old son or working at a nearby Wendy’s restaurant.
On Saturday night family and friends convinced her to attend a party in York, and Dixon reluctantly agreed.
“She didn’t even really want to go,” said her mother, LaShonda Smith. “But, I guess she decided to.”
Police were dispatched to the 100 block of Hickory Lane around 1:40 a.m. Sunday on reports of shots fired.
When first responders arrived at the scene they found Dixon lying on the ground next to a car. She had a gunshot wound. Medics transported her to a nearby hospital, where she later died.
On Monday Channel 9 spoke with Dixon’s sister, who was with her when she was shot.
Vioncey Dixon said she, her sister and their cousin were leaving the home when, for an unconfirmed reason, a man started shooting into the crowd.
E-Monnie Dixon was shot in the back of the neck while trying to run for cover.
“She was panicking,” said Vioncey Dixon. “I was holding her hand and she was saying, ‘Help me,’ and kept on telling us she loved us.”
The shooting was so traumatizing, officials said, E-Monnie Dixon’s cousin had a seizure. She is expected to be OK.
Now the family is struggling to make sense of such random violence.
“Now her child has to grow up without a mother,” said mother LaShonda Smith. “She’s going to miss his first birthday, his first day of school. She didn’t deserve this.”
York Police Chief Andy Robinson said he’s especially troubled by the victim’s age, as well as the location of the homicide.
Dixon was shot in one of York’s more troublesome neighborhoods, known as “The Valley.”
It’s an area where there are a number of drug crimes, as well as shootings, police said.
Robinson drove Channel 9 staff throughout the area, which is situated just south of downtown York.
“It’s not all the people in the neighborhood,” said Chief C.A. Robinson. “It’s some people who are bringing crime to the neighborhood.”
The department responded to 68 calls for service in the past six months, Robinson said. The calls varied, but a number of them involved some sort of disturbance. Several were reports of shots fired.
“We’ve been trying to work with the community,” Robinson said.
In fact, Robinson said a particular shift of the department has adopted the neighborhood. The department has held community meetings and even tried to talk with residents following a church service at a nearby place of worship.
Police and family members of Dixon hope someone in the community will provide information that will lead to the arrest of the person responsible for her death.
“She didn’t deserve this,” her mother said. “I keep waiting for her to walk up these steps.”
Dixon’s funeral will be held Friday.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact investigators at the York Police Department.
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