Crime & Courts

Sumter man killed over ‘disagreement’; acquaintance charged with murder

One man is dead and another is behind bars after a fight Tuesday night in Sumter, authorities said.

Demetrius Fleming, 35, is accused of fatally shooting a 56-year-old acquaintance during an argument on Brent Street shortly after 6 p.m., the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

The victim, identified as Chris Abrams, of Sumter, was taken to Prisma Health Tuomey, where he was pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office said.

The men were involved in a physical fight over an undisclosed “disagreement” when Fleming pulled a gun and shot Abrams, sheriff’s spokesman Mark Bordeaux said in a statement.

Deputies found the gunshot victim and a witness rendering him aid after responding to the sound of shots fired in the area of Brent Street and Whitehorse Road at approximately 6:21 p.m., according to the statement.

A K-9 officer led deputies to evidence and a location near where Fleming was ultimately found, the statement said.

He was arrested and later charged with murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and possession of a firearm by a person convicted of certain crimes, according to the Sumter County sheriff’s office.

Fleming was denied bond and is being held at the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center, the sheriff’s office said.

Zak Koeske
The State
Zak Koeske is a projects reporter for The State. He previously covered state government and politics for the paper. Before joining The State, Zak covered education, government and policing issues in the Chicago area. He’s also written for publications in his native Pittsburgh and the New York/New Jersey area. 
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