SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. — A 16-year-old has been arrested in connection to a New Year's Day drive-by shooting that wounded a 15-year-old, according to Sumter County deputies. Deputies say the teen was arrested on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.
Deputies say a family was inside their home on New Year’s Day when occupants of a vehicle fired into the house, wounding a 15-year-old.
While deputies were at the scene of the shooting, additional deputies searched the area for a vehicle matching a witness descriptions. Upon seeing the a suspect vehicle, deputies initiated a traffic stop using their blue lights.
Deputies say the driver failed to stop, so deputies activated their sirens. The driver of the suspect vehicle attempted to elude deputies. After a high-speed chase, four people exited the vehicle and ran toward Forest Drive with deputies chasing them on foot.
The four occupants of the vehicle included one adult and three juveniles. The adult suspect in the shooting, Jaden Shamont Smith, was arrested after the chase and deputies detained two juveniles. The fourth suspect was detained by deputies Wednesday afternoon.
Following a search of the suspect’s vehicle, deputies say additional handguns and ammunition were discovered.
Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis described the New Year’s Day shooting as another example of the "calloused and senseless violence young people are committing against one another."
“These shootings are rarely random, and they are almost always targeting those with whom they have differences," Dennis said. "It was a cowardly act to shoot into a home.”
Sheriff Dennis also said that his office will seek to have the 16-year-old prosecuted as an adult, along with any other juvenile who commits such heinous acts of violence.
The investigation into the shooting continues. If you have any information that may be helpful, deputies ask you to call 803-436-2000 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously at Call 888-CRIME-SC (888-274-6372).