Other crimes led to three separate shootings in Richland County, sheriff said
While updating three recent shootings in Richland County Wednesday, Sheriff Leon Lott said some of the victims were involved in other crimes that led to the gun violence.
The purpose of the news conference was to let the community know that none of these incidents were random, according to Lott.
“It’s just baffling to me that we’re having so many shootings and that so many people are just having total disregard for life whatsoever,” Lott said. “I’ve said it many times that a gun is going to get you one of two places, in prison or the cemetery.”
The sheriff said the three unrelated shootings, including two that were fatal, were caused by the victims being involved in other criminal activity that either involved guns, drugs, or an attempted robbery.
Last Friday, the shooting death of 19-year-old Raeneshia A. Nixon involved a gun that was also connected to the unrelated shooting death of 16-year-old Ryan Knight on Jan. 7 in Hopkins. Two teens were previously charged, one with murder, in Knight’s death.
“One gun has killed two people. We don’t have that gun. That gun is still on the street,” Lott said at the news conference. “That was a shock to us when we compared the ballistics. ... Guns are being sold and traded throughout our county and goes from one bad guy to another bad guy.”
When Nixon was shot, she was in a vehicle with her 4-week-old infant, an 8-year-old boy, and a 16-year-old male, according to Lott.
While not specifying what criminal activity was occurring, Lott said it caused shots to be fired into the vehicle. Nixon was hit and drove a short distance before crashing.
A shooter has been identified, but no arrests have been made, according to Lott.
On Monday morning, 35-year-old Christopher Ron-Mashaw Brown died after he was found shot in his car.
Brown was involved in an armed robbery when he was shot, Lott said. The person that Brown tried to rob was getting out of his vehicle and was taking his gun with him when the incident occurred, according to Lott.
Information about whether the man holds a concealed weapons permit was not made available.
“Brown attempted to rob him, and there were shots exchanged,” Lott said.
Brown drove away from the scene and was about a mile away when deputies found him behind the wheel of his car.
The sheriff said Brown had a lengthy criminal record that included previous arrests for armed robbery, assault with intent to kill, and domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature. He had served 10 years in prison.
In spite of the crimes, Lott said Brown’s death has still caused his family to lose a loved one.
“I don’t want anybody to think that I’m minimizing someone’s life even though they were involved in criminal activities,” Lott said. “The families didn’t make that choice. The family are the one that suffer now because someone has been lost.”
The sheriff also updated the Jan. 29 shooting at the Rose Nails salon on St. Andrews Road, where Octavia Johnson was shot.
Johnson was arguing with another woman, and the exchange that escalated into the shooting, according to Lott. A man who was with the woman arguing with Johnson got involved and opened fire.
Johnson was hospitalized after she was found on the floor of the salon. Further information on her condition was not available.
Sheriff’s deputies have identified the woman Johnson argued with, and they are trying to ID the man involved in the gunfire.
Johnson also had a gun in that incident, according to Lott. The sheriff did not say if Johnson fired her weapon.
“These are not random shootings,” Lott said. “I don’t want the community to think that we’ve got people just riding down the road and someone is shooting to a car and hitting them. That’s not the case in any of the shootings that we’ve had.”
Lott said he didn’t think any of the incidents were gang related and declined to share information on accused shooters who are being investigated. The sheriff said his department is close to making arrests in the incidents.
“We’re going to solve all these cases. We’re already on top of them,” Lott said. “It’s just a matter of time before people get arrested again.”
These have not been the only gun crimes in Richland County in 2021.
On Feb. 2, a 20-year-old woman was charged with murder after a man was shot multiple times in Hopkins. His body was found in a January house fire.
No charges were filed in a Jan. 10 shooting in a drug deal gone bad that killed three men at the Grove at St. Andrews apartment complex on Zimalcrest Drive.
On Jan. 7, a 16-year-old died after he was shot on Horrell Hill Road, and about three weeks later a 21-year-old was charged with murder.
The new year started with a death from a Dec. 31 shooting at a hotel in Richland County, where a 19-year-old was charged with murder.
The sheriff’s department is also assisting the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office in an investigation into Sunday’s shooting death of a 19-year-old Blythewood man.
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This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 12:32 PM.
