ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – Three people are now facing murder charges in connection with a deadly February drive-by shooting in Anderson County.
19-year-old Anthony Cole Howard of Williamston, 37-year-old Grace Lynn Smith of Piedmont, and a 17-year-old boy are each charged with murder and discharging a firearm into a dwelling.
The three previously faced manslaughter charges in the shooting, according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.
The charges are in connection with the shooting death of 14-year-old Elijah Sergent.
Sergent was shot and killed by a stray bullet that flew inside his home on Willingham Road in Belton on February 23, according to the Anderson County Coroner’s Office.
“That 14-year-old was alive and walking around his kitchen one minute, and then, unfortunately, was killed the next because of a senseless drive-by shooting,” Shale Remien of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said.
Remien said Sergent knew Howard and the 17-year-old suspect. Investigators believe an argument led up to the shooting. They are still investigating if Sergent was the intended target, according to Remien.
“They drove by the house multiple times going up and down that road,” Remien explained. “That’s a clear indicator they meant to be on Willingham Road when they shot into that house.”
Howard and Smith were taken into custody on March 9 after their vehicle was spotted on a license plate camera in Trumann, Arkansas. The juvenile was arrested in the Upstate.
Detectives said interviews and more information gathered during their investigation resulted in the upgraded charges.
Remien said investigators are not looking for any other suspects.
All three are being held in jail without bond. The 17-year-old boy will be charged as an adult, according to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.
