Suspect allegedly caused crash that preceded double murder in SC county, police say
The suspect in a double murder in Georgetown County allegedly caused the minor traffic crash that preceded the shooting of a man and his stepdaughter, police said.
The suspect, Ty Sheem Ha Sheem Walters III, 23, of Moncks Corner, has been charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and three counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He is in custody and has been denied bond.
The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office and South Carolina Highway Patrol have released details of the homicides and circumstances surrounding them:
Charles Nicholas ‘Nick’ Wall, 45, of Andrews, and his stepdaughter, Laura Ashlee Anderson, 21, of Georgetown, were both shot to death, according to Georgetown County coroner Kenneth Johnson, following the wreck.
In a Facebook post Thursday, Kimberly Wall, the wife of Nick and mother of Laura, wrote: “It is not an exaggeration or bias to say that two of the most genuine, loving, compassionate people in the world were taken from me on Monday. Were taken from their families and friends. I am broken-hearted.”
A third victim, identified in an arrest warrant as Paul McConnell, was also shot in the incident but is not believed to have life-threatening injuries, according to Johnson.
The shooting occurred Monday around 5 p.m. following a vehicle crash on U.S. 521 near Indian Hut Road between Georgetown and Andrews.
According to WMBF News, South Carolina Highway Patrol officer Brian Lee said both Wall and Walters were driving south on Highway 521 when Wall slowed to turn into a driveway and was hit by Walters’ vehicle.
Lee said an altercation ensued. According to a Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office arrest warrant, Walters is accused of shooting Wall at least twice in the upper body and Anderson at least once in the head “with malice aforethought and intent to kill.”
The third victim was shot at least once and was also bludgeoned in the head and face with the gun, according to the warrant.
Walters fled the scene on foot toward the Kent Road area but was soon apprehended, according to the sheriff’s office.
According to a police incident report, when police arrived on the scene, one victim had already been transported by EMS, another was receiving CPR from paramedics, and a third was walking around with an apparent gunshot wound to his left wrist.
On Wednesday, Judge Isaac Pyatt denied Walters bond on the weapons possession charge and he remains in custody in Georgetown County.
An officer with the Georgetown County Sheriff’s office said during the bond hearing that “the defendant in a post-Miranda interview did make an admission to shooting all the victims,” according to a WPDE TV report.
According to Jason Lesley, public information officer for the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, a bond for murder charges can only be set in circuit court, and it will be a month or more before that bond hearing occurs.
Anderson’s memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at First Baptist Church in Georgetown. The family will receive friends following the service. Wall’s service will be private.
Memorials can be made to Hugs for Horses in Georgetown or Gourdines Chapel, which they attended and where Anderson taught Sunday school.
According to obituaries posted on the Ridgeway Funeral Home website, Wall was the owner of 1st Choice Fencing in Georgetown, where he worked closely with two of his sons and a stepson. His hobbies included fishing and playing games and the guitar.
Anderson worked alongside her father, Adam Anderson, at Anderson Body Shop. She attended Georgetown High School, was a graduate of S.C. Connections Academy and was pursuing a degree in Elementary Education to follow her mother in teaching. She had a great love for children and animals and volunteered with Hugs for Horses and Buddy Ball.
Kimberly Wall shared on Facebook the loss she has suffered.
This story was originally published August 27, 2020 at 9:53 PM with the headline "Suspect allegedly caused crash that preceded double murder in SC county, police say."
