Six undocumented immigrants ranging in age from 13 to 21 have been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a woman in Lancaster, South Carolina, which authorities have described as a “random” act of violence. The incident occurred on May 2 while the victim was driving to meet friends in nearby Rock Hill.
Deputies with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office found 40-year-old Larisha Sharrell Thompson behind the wheel of her car on Riverside Road, suffering from a fatal gunshot wound. The location is about an hour south of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Fox News reports that on May 12, law enforcement officials announced the arrests of three adult suspects—Asael Aminadas Torres-Chirinos, 21; Jarby Ardon Ramos-Odari, 18; and Jeyson Sobied Pineda-Salgado, 17—along with three juveniles, aged 13, 14, and 15. The group is also accused of involvement in a separate burglary that occurred on April 30.
“This shooting defies any sense of decency in a civilized society,” said Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile in a statement released Monday. “Ms. Thompson was going about her business on a Friday night, not bothering anyone. All of a sudden, these six men and boys — out to get something for nothing from someone they did not know and had no business bothering — pulled alongside her car, and Torres-Chirinos opened fire, killing Ms. Thompson. There’s no place in our society for acts like this or the people who commit them, and my hope is these six are never again among us.”
During a press briefing, Sheriff Faile confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security has issued detainers for all six individuals. He emphasized that the arrests have significantly improved public safety: “The community is a much safer place today because these six individuals are off the streets.”
According to investigators, the suspects approached Thompson’s vehicle in what they described as a random attempt to commit robbery. Authorities allege that Torres-Chirinos, who was driving the vehicle the suspects were in, fired the deadly shot after the group attempted to open Thompson’s locked car door before fleeing the scene.
Just days prior to the shooting, deputies responded to a burglary report at Van Wyck Mart, located at 644 Rock Hill Highway. The store owner reported that surveillance footage from the night of April 29 showed several young males attempting to break into the store. When they failed to enter through the main entrance, they allegedly forced open a door on the building’s northwest side, gaining access through a bathroom that connected to the store’s interior.
The suspects are also accused of firing a gun at both a security camera and the bathroom door. Ballistic evidence was collected at the site.
Authorities noted that the store and the location of Thompson’s murder are only a seven-minute drive apart. Forensic analysis confirmed that shell casings from the burglary scene and the murder matched the same 9 mm handgun.
Using surveillance footage, detectives placed Torres-Chirinos at both crime scenes. He was interviewed on May 8, which led to the identification and apprehension of the remaining five suspects later that day.
All six individuals face removal from the United States under federal immigration statutes, according to the sheriff’s office. “The Department of Homeland Security has placed detainers on these six,” Faile explained.
“That doesn’t mean the federal government will scoop them up and send them out of the country before their cases are heard in court. It simply means if for any reason, any one or more of them becomes eligible for release before their charges are resolved in court, Homeland Security will take custody of them, and they will not be back out on the street. Our intention is that all six remain detained until they face the full weight of our judicial system.”
Sheriff Faile also noted the pain endured by the victim’s loved ones: “Thompson’s family is grieving and trying to get their heads around how something like this could happen.”
