LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — Two brothers have been arrested after a 19-year-old was found shot in his yard, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies were called around 5 p.m. Tuesday to a home on Memorial Drive, where they found the 19-year-old.
Although he was seriously hurt, deputies said the victim is expected to recover from his injuries. He’s still in the hospital for treatment.
In a statement, the Lancaster County sheriff said the victim and alleged shooter know each other and said detectives believe the shooting “stemmed from prior difficulties between the two.”
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Bobby Moree was working at a nearby cemetery when he heard the gunshots.
“Next thing I know, ‘pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow,’ like a bunch of gunshots going off,” he said.
Witnesses told deputies the gunman got out of a car and shot at the victim multiple times before he ran from the scene. The witnesses gave deputies descriptions of both the car and the shooter.
Later Tuesday night, deputies saw a black Ford Taurus on McIlwain Road that matched the description of the suspect’s car. Deputies eventually pulled the car over and arrested its driver, 20-year-old O’Mari Lamon Frazier of Lancaster, after a chase with a K-9.
Authorities learned three people who were inside the car had gotten out of it without Frazier and ran from the traffic stop. Deputies were eventually able to arrest one of them, 18-year-old Vernon Jamon Frazier, Jr. of Rock Hill.
Deputies believe Vernon Frazier to be the alleged shooter. He and O’Mari Frazier are brothers. Both were taken to the Lancaster County jail.
The sheriff’s office said the other two men who ran from the car haven’t been identified, taken into custody, or charged with any crimes.
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Vernon Frazier has been charged with attempted murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, and giving false information to law enforcement.
O’Mari Frazier has been charged with failure to stop for blue light and siren.
“This shooting was not random,” Sheriff Barry Faile’s full statement reads. “The victim and the shooter know each other, and we believe the shooting stemmed from prior difficulties between the two. We do not think residents in the area are in danger. Our response to this shooting was swift, and we covered the area with lots of personnel into the night until we found the Taurus and made these two arrests. I appreciate the help we got from DNR. We also had a lot of help from witnesses who cooperated and provided good information. I encourage anyone else who saw or heard something to contact us so we can complete this investigation and make appropriate charges against others who might have been involved.”
The sheriff’s office said it could bring more arrests and charges as the investigation continues.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office at 803-283-3388 and select Option 4.
People who live and work near Memorial Drive said it was the second shooting in the area in recent months. Some of them said a stronger police presence could help deter crime.
“They need to patrol this area a little bit more,” one neighbor said.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said they’ve gotten 12 calls for service on Memorial Drive since the beginning of the year, none of which were shootings.
He said they use three different crime mapping tools to analyze where and what crimes are happening. The department then meets regularly to discuss the information and create tactical strategies.
The spokesperson said they assign personnel based on that information, and if there’s any area, including Memorial Drive, that has a particular need for a presence, they will make that happen.
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