A ‘trigger man’ passed out guns before an alleged murder in Horry County, prosecutor says
An 18-year-old passed out guns to other people before they ambushed a car and fatally shot a fellow teen, prosecutors say.
For the first time, investigators detailed what happened in mid-September on D Street in the Conway area. Horry County police found Jamie Johnson, 19, dead inside his vehicle and several people were charged in connection to his murder.
Tronahz Jahmarius Whittington—who was 17 years old at the time of the murder—was in Horry County court via video conference on Monday as a solicitor detailed the allegations.
Assistant Solicitor Chris Helms said there was an altercation between Johnson and Whittington. Then, Whittington and a group followed Johnson’s car. On D Street, they cut off Johnson and approached his vehicle.
Several co-defendants gave statements after their arrest about what happened next.
“One statement says he passed out the guns to the other defendants and instructed them what to do,” Helms said of Whittington.
The group approached the car where “it all broke loose,” Helms said. Johnson was shot in the back of the head and witnesses said Whittington fired the fatal shot. Helms described Whittington as the “trigger man.”
The suspects fled after the shooting, though several turned themselves in as police investigated the shooting. Except for Whittington, who fled to the Greenville area, Helms said. He added that Whittington’s family helped him elude the police.
With U.S Marshals assisting, police arrested Whittington in Greenville and he was charged with murder, three counts of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Conway police also charged him with attempted murder and two gun charges in connection to a shooting the day before the alleged murder.
Monday’s hearing was expected to be for bond, but that quickly changed when Helms detailed Whittington’s local arrest record. Helms listed several previous charges against Whittington, including armed robbery, carjacking and discharging a firearm into a dwelling. In one incident, a newborn was nearly shot when Whittington allegedly opened fire at the home.
“Your honor, he is the definition of a danger to the community,” Helms said.
But, the numerous previous charges caught the defense off-guard as attorney Ralph Wilson Jr. said he has not received evidence about the older cases. As a result, Whittington and his lawyers withdrew his request for bond. That means the 18-year-old will remain in J. Reuben Long Detention Center until his attorneys can review the evidence. He faces life in prison if convicted of the murder charge.
The cases against the co-defendants also remain active.
