Rampage at Midlands motel leaves one man in a hospital and another in jail, cops say

One man was hospitalized and another was taken to jail following a rampage at a Midlands motel, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said.

Eric Demond Dickey attacked a woman, fired a gun at one man, and end up shooting another, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

The 26-year-old Lynchburg resident was charged with attempted murder, first-degree burglary, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, discharging a firearm into a dwelling, and assault & battery of a high and aggravated nature, Sumter County court records show.

The March 27 spree began when Dickey forced his way into a room to hurt a woman inside at a motel in the 10000 block of Lynches River Road, according to the release. That’s in Lynchburg, near Exit 146 on Interstate 95, and about 3 miles from Dickey’s home.

The woman escaped and was not injured, the sheriff’s office said.

Dickey then left the room and fired a handgun twice at a man while in the parking lot, according to the release.

The intended target was not injured, but one of the bullets entered another motel room and hit a man inside, the sheriff’s office said.

The shooting victim was airlifted to a Florence hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries. Further information on the man’s condition was not made available.

On Monday, Dickey was arrested and taken to the Sumter-Lee Detention Center, according to the release. His bond was denied and Dickey will remain behind bars until his next scheduled court appearance on May 7, jail records show.

This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 1:34 PM.

Noah Feit

The State

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Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription