COLUMBIA – Four more men have been arrested in connection with the shootout in downtown Blythewood on April 5.
When you have large groups of unsupervised young people, somebody’s going to pull a gun out.
Leon Lott, Richland County Sheriff
In a press conference on May 12, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott called it a shootout at the O.K. Corral in Blythewood.
“I’ve probably described it pretty good,” Lott said during an update of the arrests made after the incident. “Not a day goes by I don’t get somebody asking me a question about what happened in Blythewood, what we’ve done,” he said.
“So, I think it’s important that we update on the arrests that we’ve made and what we’ve been able to find out.”
Lott flashed the four new arrestees on a screen.
Jamari Nelson, 23, was arrested for Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime, and is out on bail.
D’Marion Jacobs, 18, was driving a Mazarati that Lott said hit a young person, then fled the scene during the Blythewood shooting. Jacobs was later arrested for Hit & Run Resulting in Minor Injury, and is out on bond. Jacobs was previously arrested for attempted murder. He pled to a lesser crime, and received no jail time, according to Lott.
Nahjere Suber, 18, was arrested for two counts of Aggravated Assault and Possession of a Weapon during a Violent Crime. He is out on bond. He was previously arrested for Aggravated Breach of Peace in connection with the Blythewood shooting.
AliKeem Turner, 20, was present at the Blythewood shooting, but did not shoot. Previously arrested for Attempted Grand Larceny and Possession of a Machine Gun. Turner was released on bond.
Lott said a common denominator in the four arrests and the previous arrests of three Blythewood shooters is, “they are out on bond, out on bond, out on bond.” he said. “I don’t control bond, I don’t control the court system, but we do control the sheriff’s department’s investigation and making arrests,” Lott said. “What happens after that is entirely out of our hands, but we will make an arrest.
“These individuals that we’re talking about, they’re all back out in the community,” Lott said.
“If you ask me what caused this shooting,” Lott said, “it’s …people who just don’t like each other and people who just don’t care. When you ask these individuals why they commit these shootings,” Lott said, “the response is, ‘I just start shooting. I hear a shot, so I put my gun out and I just start shooting.’
“Only by the grace of God that many people weren’t killed,” Lott said.
During the press conference, Lott showed two videos of the shootout in Blythewood – one, a scene of kids running when shots were fired on McNulty Road behind the Waffle House with the Exon Sharpe Shoppe forming a backdrop for shooters and another one of shooters inside the car wash at the intersection of McNulty and Boney Road.
“We had a young lady that was shot, didn’t have anything to do with any of it – just happened to be there. She ended up getting shot, but with the number of bullets that were fired, it’s the higher power that protected all these people who were there.
“This does not have anything to do with the Town of Blythewood,” Lott said, “except that Blythewood just happened to be the place that they all gathered that night. Unfortunately, when you have large groups of unsupervised young people, somebody’s going to pull a gun out, they’re going to fire the first bullet, and it just goes from there.”
Lot said deputies served a search warrant at Nelson’s home after his arrest, and found two guns.
“One has been linked to another crime that we’re working on,” he said.
Since the shootout, Lott said he’s asked the community for help and they’ve responded.
“They’ve been a tremendous help to us, providing us with information,” he said. “The investigation is continuing. We’ve got more that we’re going to arrest.
“We’ve had some parents come in with their young person and they gave us statements, not the ones who were involved in the shootings,” he said. “The ones who were involved in the shooting, their parents haven’t brought them in.
“We’re still identifying people and we’re going to continue to do it,” he said. “There’s going to be more arrests.
“It’s a priority case for us, one that we’re going to continue to work on, and we’re going to continue to do our part. That’s holding those responsible for these shootings, hold them accountable.
“I think it’s important that the community, particularly the Blythewood community that this has really had such a big impact on, knows that we’re continuing to work this case.”
Lott will be speaking at a town hall meeting to be held at the Manor on May 19, to discuss with community members the current disruptions in the business district and at evening park events. It begins at 6:30 p.m.
Prior Arrests
On April 11, Lott announced the arrests of Tyreek Shealy, 19 and Darell Birch, 18. Both were charged with Aggravated Breach of Peace. Sadrien Devoe, 18, was arrested on April 22 and charged with Breach of Peace of a High and Aggravated Nature in connection with the Blythewood shooting and Simple Possession of Marijuana in connection to the search.
Related: Two more arrests made in Blythewood shooting; Three arrested in Blythewood shooting; Female shot, businesses damaged during teen shootout in Blythewood; Teens fire shots in downtown Blythewood; Town Council votes to close nighttime park events in 2025 due to teen disruptions; Four teens charged in latest movie night incident; Teens turn Doko Meadows movie night fun into mayhem; What happened at Doko’s fireworks event?
