Sumter mobile home triple shooting suspect remains at large

Three and a half weeks after three family members were shot in their home, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to search for one of two suspects.
Two 25-year-old cousins, Nikeen Johnson and Kwodel Johnson, are suspected in the shooting that injured three people, including a 7-year-old girl, at the American Mobile Home Plaza off Broad Street in Cherryvale on Aug. 16.
Kwodel Johnson, of Somerset Drive in Sumter, was detained on Aug. 20 in Orangeburg, according to Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Adrienne Sarvis.
Nikeen Johnson, of Summit Hills Circle in Columbia, remains at large. He is known to have ties in Orangeburg and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Deputies are contacting those who are close to Johnson to locate him, Sarvis said.
According to investigators, the shooting happened during a verbal dispute between the two men and the two adult victims, who were acquainted with Kwodel Johnson.
The two suspects reportedly fired multiple shots into the family’s residence, striking the three family members but missing a 6-year-old boy. The three victims are all in stable condition after being initially transported to hospitals in critical condition.
Both Johnsons face four counts of attempted murder, and other charges are pending, Sarvis said.
Nikeen Johnson is a black male, weighs about 135 pounds and is 5 feet 4 inches tall with short, black dreadlocks and brown eyes.
"We encourage Johnson to voluntarily turn himself in to the nearest law enforcement agency and will charge those who help him avoid arrest," Sarvis wrote in a news release.
Anyone with information about Nikeen Johnson’s whereabouts should call the sheriff’s office at (803) 436-2000.
Anonymous tips can be given by calling that number, calling Crime Stoppers at (803) 436-2718 or 1-888-CRIME-SC or visiting www.p3tips.com. Information leading to an arrest could result in a cash reward.