‘Children having temper tantrums with guns.’ Five charged in teen’s death, SC cops say

Five young men have been charged in connection with the killing of 17-year-old Kwelik Bacoate last Friday in Darlington, South Carolina police said.

It’s not entirely clear what led to the violence, but Darlington Police Chief Kelvin Washington said a fight broke out between the men and some others in a parking lot off of U.S. 52. The brawl escalated, guns were drawn and shots were fired from both sides, Washington said in a Friday news conference streamed by WMBF.

When officers arrived, Bacoate was down on the pavement, shot but still breathing for a few more moments. He quickly succumbed to his wounds, Washington said. Another man at the scene was also hit, but survived.

Washington said the shooting was “gang-related,” but added that the groups involved are small-scale and rooted in area communities, not organizations of the kind many associate with large cities.

He declined to get into specifics, saying he didn’t want to jeopardize other ongoing investigations in the Pee Dee region.

The five men charged in Bacoate’s death are ages 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22, Washington said.

The 20-year-old has been charged with murder, and the youngest is facing two counts of attempted murder. Charges of assault by mob have been brought against the other three.

“It appears that we’ve got children having temper tantrums with guns,” Washington said, expressing frustration over Bacoate’s death, and a string of other Pee Dee-area killings in recent months.

“I don’t think they realize … that this is not a television show. These lives they take, they’re not coming back in another season.”

Washington said his department is working closely with the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office and other police departments to investigate the recent violent incidents.

Several shootings have happened in the area since the start of the new year, WPDE reported.