Tyrone N. Butts
APE Reporter
3
Orangeburg man dies in fatal shooting spurred by spat over cigarettes
An Orangeburg man is expected to be arraigned for murder Tuesday after what police say was a "senseless" argument over a pack of cigarettes.
Police say Deshawn Lee Powell, 24, of 846 Goff St., will go before an Orangeburg County magistrate to be formally charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.
Police say Andrew Price, of Clarendon Street Apartments, died Friday after being shot once in the abdomen.
"In my 18 years' experience, I've never seen an act that was as senseless as this," Orangeburg County Sheriff's Capt. Rene Williams
said. "If someone had ... just called law enforcement before it got to this point," a murder might could have been avoided.
On March 21, Powell and Price were at an Orangeburg residence with several people. When Powell began to leave, he accused others of taking his pack of cigarettes, police say.
Confrontations between the two men continued for days, Williams said. Witnesses told police they saw Powell accost the victim several times leading up to the fatal confrontation.
The growing feud culminated in Price's fatal shooting Friday night, Williams said. Investigators think Powell was waiting outside of Price's apartment for the victim to leave his home.
"The sheriff's office received a call around 7:25 p.m. from the Clarendon Street Apartments," he said. "When deputies arrived, the found the victim had been shot at the rear of the complex. The area was secured, and EMS was called
to t
ransport the victim to TRMC."
Once at the hospital, Price lingered for several hours before dying, Williams said. An autopsy in Newberry is planned.
A handgun was recovered at the incident location
, but police are waiting on ballistics tests to confirm the weapon was used in the shooting.
Police arrested Powell without incident at a relative's residence around 3 a.m. Saturday. He is expected to appear in court at 9 a.m. today at the Orangeburg County Law Enforcement Complex.
Williams, a veteran policeman, stresses that police intervention could have diffused the escalating argument before it turned tragic.
"If they (witnesses) had of just reported the altercations to us that same day they happened, we could have stepped in," he said. "We interviewed four or five who said they saw these altercations. If they'd have just reported it."
OCSO Sgt. Keith Bonnette is leading the ongoing investigation assisted by crime scene inv
estigato
r Lt. Kenny Kinsey.
************
It's not tragic; it's comical![/b
]
T.N.B.
Orangeburg man dies in fatal shooting spurred by spat over cigarettes
An Orangeburg man is expected to be arraigned for murder Tuesday after what police say was a "senseless" argument over a pack of cigarettes.
Police say Deshawn Lee Powell, 24, of 846 Goff St., will go before an Orangeburg County magistrate to be formally charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.
Police say Andrew Price, of Clarendon Street Apartments, died Friday after being shot once in the abdomen.
"In my 18 years' experience, I've never seen an act that was as senseless as this," Orangeburg County Sheriff's Capt. Rene Williams
said. "If someone had ... just called law enforcement before it got to this point," a murder might could have been avoided.
On March 21, Powell and Price were at an Orangeburg residence with several people. When Powell began to leave, he accused others of taking his pack of cigarettes, police say.
Confrontations between the two men continued for days, Williams said. Witnesses told police they saw Powell accost the victim several times leading up to the fatal confrontation.
The growing feud culminated in Price's fatal shooting Friday night, Williams said. Investigators think Powell was waiting outside of Price's apartment for the victim to leave his home.
"The sheriff's office received a call around 7:25 p.m. from the Clarendon Street Apartments," he said. "When deputies arrived, the found the victim had been shot at the rear of the complex. The area was secured, and EMS was called
to t
ransport the victim to TRMC."
Once at the hospital, Price lingered for several hours before dying, Williams said. An autopsy in Newberry is planned.
A handgun was recovered at the incident location
, but police are waiting on ballistics tests to confirm the weapon was used in the shooting.
Police arrested Powell without incident at a relative's residence around 3 a.m. Saturday. He is expected to appear in court at 9 a.m. today at the Orangeburg County Law Enforcement Complex.
Williams, a veteran policeman, stresses that police intervention could have diffused the escalating argument before it turned tragic.
"If they (witnesses) had of just reported the altercations to us that same day they happened, we could have stepped in," he said. "We interviewed four or five who said they saw these altercations. If they'd have just reported it."
OCSO Sgt. Keith Bonnette is leading the ongoing investigation assisted by crime scene inv
estigato
r Lt. Kenny Kinsey.
************
It's not tragic; it's comical![/b
]
T.N.B.
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