Sumter police offer up to $5,000 reward for info on November fatal shooting

Sumter officers have identified and located the driver and vehicle who dropped off a shooting victim at a Sumter hospital emergency room in November, but they are offering up to a $5,000 reward for more information about the case, according to a news release from Sumter Police Department. The shooting victim died later of his injuries.

The driver was not named in the release, but a photo of the driver standing beside the vehicle at Prisma Health Tuomey was provided, taken from surveillance video at Tuomey's ER.

Sumter police are continuing to investigate after Travis Desmond Rouse, 35, of Acres Avenue was dropped off by the man at Tuomey before 7 p.m. on the evening of Nov. 23. He died later that evening.

According to the release, information discovered in the case  indicates the shooting occurred in the Mooneyham area outside of Sumter city limits on Utah Circle.  Sumter police were told the following morning, Nov. 24, that Sumter County Sheriff's Office would not continue its investigation into the shooting because of jurisdictional concerns. Sumter Police Department is investigating the case with help from South Carolina Law Enforcement Division because of the shooting's location outside city limits.

The speeding vehicle was captured on video on Boulevard Road with its flashers on, leaving the area where the shooting occurred. Officers are investigating who was involved and how and why the shooting happened and asked anyone who saw or heard anything in the area at the time of the shooting to contact Sumter Police Department at (803) 436-2700.

Tips, given under the condition of anonymity, can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. Tips also can be provided online at P3tips.com or by using the P3tips app that is available for iOS (Apple) and Android devices.