Suspect in fatal shooting at Sumter auto body shop faces forgery charges

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Additional charges have been filed against a sovereign citizen with past addresses in Sumter who is accused of murder in the shooting death of a 34-year-old at an auto body shop.

Demetrius Alexander Brown, 38, had already been charged with murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and unlawful possession of a weapon and now also faces two counts of forgery in the amount of $10,000 or more, according to Ken Bell, public information officer for Sumter County Sheriff's Office.

Brown was captured in Jacksonville, Florida, last Thursday after being on the run for almost a week. He was at one point spotted by law enforcement in Jackson County, Georgia, which is northeast of Atlanta. He was extradited to Sumter on Friday and is being held in Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center awaiting a General Sessions Court bond hearing.

The forgery charges stem from Brown supposedly presenting a $17,500 check to purchase a 2013 Outback Camper and an $18,700 check to purchase a 2008 Ford F250 pickup truck. The checks were drawn on Navy Federal Credit Union, according to the sheriff's office.

Deputies responded to Auto Doctors on South Pike Road East about 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 11, where they found Sharmine Pack suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to Palmetto Health Tuomey, where he later died.

Witnesses said they saw Brown flee the scene after the shooting. Brown is a Moorish sovereign citizen, which is a group of people who think they do not have to obey this country's laws because they belong to a sovereign state. Moors are known for violently clashing with law enforcement and committing financial fraud.

Brown was apprehended without incident and did not challenge his extradition from Florida. When a sheriff's office deputy and a U.S. Marshal brought him to the jail on Friday, he wore a Taser belt around his stomach and cooperated.

The sheriff's office has said additional charges may be forthcoming.