Police: Teen killed man buying ATV in front of pregnant wife, kids

BRANCHVILLE, S.C. — A teenager shot and killed a man in front of his pregnant wife and her children as he was buying an all-terrain vehicle that he found on Facebook, South Carolina authorities said.

Alexander “Cody” Presley, 34, of Cordova, died shortly after the shooting Wednesday in Branchville, Orangeburg County deputies said.

“He was a hero. He shoved my son out of the way so he wouldn’t get shot,” Kayla Cox told The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg.

After Presley paid the teenager $4,600 for the ATV and loaded it onto his trailer, the youth pulled out a gun, deputies wrote in an incident report. Edward Stokes, 17, of Branchville, was charged with murder and armed robbery as an adult because of the severity of the crime. He is being held without bond and court records did not show if he had a lawyer.

A 13-year-old boy who was with Stokes was also arrested and charged with armed robbery and with accessory before and after the fact of murder. The boy told deputies he was with Stokes during the robbery and saw him shoot Presley, according to arrest warrants.

Presley told the teen “Man, just take whatever you want. Don’t do it,” Cox told the newspaper.

Stokes pointed the gun at her and her 8-year-old son, and Presley and the teen started to fight before Presley was fatally wounded, Cox said.

Presley’s SUV was found abandoned a short distance from the shooting and Stokes was arrested nearby, deputies said.

Cox said her husband had taken the family to Charleston on Tuesday to celebrate their second anniversary and told her he was going to buy her a four-wheeler. They went to buy the ATV the next day.

“He was an amazing person,” she said.

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