Man charged with murder at SC mall has been arrested at least 17 times, cops say
The South Carolina man who fatally shot a woman he was arguing with at a shopping mall a week ago was arrested Tuesday, Charleston police said in a news release.
U.S. Marshals captured Cary Kejuan Janai Stephens in North Charleston, police said in the news release.
The 28-year-old Charleston man was taken to the Al Cannon Detention Center where he was charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, jail records show.
This is the 17th time Stephens has been arrested and booked at the Charleston County detention center since 2009, according to jail records. Among the many charges was a January 2018 domestic violence arrest that has not been resolved, according to SLED records.
Witnesses told police a man, later identified as Stephens, was arguing with Deja Katrice Dantley in a parking lot at the Citadel Mall before hearing a gun shot on Feb. 26, according to a news release.
Police said Stephens and Dantley knew each other, and he drove away after the shooting, according to a news release.
The 23-year-old Dantley “was found dead in her vehicle from a gunshot wound,” police said in a news release.
A bond hearing for Stephens is set for Wednesday, according to police who said the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
The Citadel Mall is where a new HBO series is being filmed in the space that was occupied by Sears before closing after 37 years, postandcourier.com reported. The show is “The Righteous Gemstones” and stars Danny McBride and John Goodman among others, according to the newspaper.
