No charges for shooter who killed man at Lexington holiday party, but others arrested
The man who fatally shot another man at a holiday party will not face any criminal charges, as he acted in self defense, the Lexington Police Department said Wednesday.
But two other men involved in the incident have been arrested, police said in a news release.
The shooting happened Dec. 20 during a Christmas party at Southern Dreams Realty, located at 102 Gantt St., police said.
When officers arrived just after 11:30 p.m., they discovered Wesley James Warren-Camp on the ground in the parking lot with a gunshot wound in his chest, according to the release. The 26-year-old died at the scene.
Glenn Wilbur Rowe Jr. told officers he shot Warren-Camp during a fight when both Wesley Warren-Camp and his father, William Douglas Camp Jr., 44, had assaulted him when he and his wife had attempted to leave the party.
During the assault, Rowe, 46, suffered a broken eye socket along with lacerations to the face and head with contusions over his body, according to the police department, which quoted records from Lexington Medical Center. Rowe was treated at LMC.
Police said Warren-Camp and his father were fighting each other, and Rowe was involved in breaking up the fight, according to the release.
When Rowe and his wife attempted to the leave the party, another person at the party, Calvin Lee Brown, retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and fired several rounds in an attempt to disperse the crowd, police said. Brown, 51, of Lexington, then got into his vehicle and left the scene, according to the release.
As Rowe and his wife were getting into their vehicle, Wesley Warren-Camp pulled him out and began to physically assault him, police said.
William Camp Jr. came over and also began attacking Rowe, repeatedly hitting him in the face and body. Each time Rowe attempted to get back into his vehicle, the pair pulled him out of the truck to continue the assault, according to the release.
Rowe grabbed his handgun while again being pulled by the Camps, and, laying on his back while being struck in the head, he fired one round into the upper body of Wesley Warren-Camp, ending the assault, police said.
Rowe told investigators he feared for his life, that he was beginning to lose consciousness, and that he worried about the safety of his wife, who tried to pull Wesley Warren-Camp and William Camp Jr. from her husband, according to the release.
The 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office determined Rowe “acted lawfully in self defense in the shooting death,” and no charges will be filed, it said in the release.
Brown was stopped immediately after leaving the party and was charged with driving under the influence, police said. The gun he fired was found in his vehicle, and he has been charged with unlawful use of a firearm and discharging a firearm in town limits.
William Camp Jr. has been charged with second-degree assault and battery, police said.
Camp and Brown turned themselves in Wednesday and are being held at the Lexington County Detention Center, according to the release. No bond has been set for either man, jail records show.
“This was a tragic and chaotic incident and I appreciate the patience shown from those involved, along with the community, while detectives have worked through every aspect of this case to bring it to a conclusion,” Chief Terrence Green said in the release.
Wesley Warren-Camp worked at Aerotek and American Income Life Insurance Company after graduating from Newberry College, where he was on the baseball team, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before college, he attended Pelion High School.
In addition to his father, Wesley Warren-Camp is survived by his wife, as well as his mother, among other relatives listed in his obituary. A funeral service and burial were held Dec. 29, according to Caughman-Harman Funeral Home.
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This story was originally published January 15, 2020 at 11:54 AM.
