19-year-old killed, another injured in suspected gang-related Cherryvale shooting

The Sumter County sheriff said he asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Gang Task Force to help investigate after a Sumter teenager was killed and another person injured early Wednesday in Cherryvale. Sheriff Anthony Dennis said he thinks the incident is another gang-related shooting.

A preliminary investigation indicates the two victims were walking in the 1000 block of Cherryvale Drive when a dark-colored vehicle stopped, and the occupants opened fire on them, according to Sumter County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Adrienne Sarvis.

Christopher A. Thompson, 19, of Santee Drive, was found dead at the scene when the Sumter County Coroner’s Office arrived about 1 a.m. Sept. 18, Coroner Robbie Baker said. Thompson was pronounced dead at Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital of an apparent gunshot wound. An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday at MUSC in Charleston.

The second victim, a 22-year-old, was taken into surgery at Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital this morning and then flown to Prisma Health Richland, Baker said. The sheriff’s office said the 22-year-old sustained severe injuries and was pronounced dead after 1 p.m. Wednesday.

This is the latest in a string of deadly shootings. They have not all been related, but they have largely involved suspects and victims 30 years old and younger. The SLED Gang Task Force will assist the sheriff's office in the investigation of Wednesday's and other recent shootings in Sumter.

"This is the second homicide we are investigating in the county this year," Dennis said in a news release. "This does not appear to be a random shooting."

Dennis noted an increase in gang-related incidents this month and this summer as the reason he asked SLED to assist.

Coroner Baker also noted recent shootings being more than normal.

“Never in my 35 years in public safety have I seen this many homicides in this short amount of time,” Baker said.

He said Thursday’s shooting death of Thompson was the ninth he has responded to since May 30. Before the 22-year-old's death Wednesday afternoon, Baker had said if the injured second victim succumbed to his injuries, Wednesday's shooting would be the third double homicide he has responded to in that time, he said.

“It’s sad to think these young kids don’t treasure life,” Baker said. “This is not a video game. It’s real life.”

Baker’s office has investigated eight bodies found dead by apparent homicide. That does not include Nevaeh Adams, a 5-year-old girl who has been presumed dead by the Sumter Police Department, Baker’s office and other investigators. She has been missing since her mother, Sharee Bradley, was found dead on Aug. 5.

A man has been charged with murder in connection to both Bradley and Adams, but Adams’ body has not been found. The coroner’s office responded to that scene, and it is a separate case than the gang-related shootings.

The coroner’s office has seen a total of 11 homicides in Sumter County since Jan. 1, with one occurring on Feb. 16.

If you have any information about this shooting, call Sumter County Sheriff's Office at (803) 436-2000 or Sumter Crime Stoppers at (803) 436-2718. Tips can also be submitted online at www.p3tips.com. Those who provide information can be anonymous.

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This story will be updated.