Six illegal immigrants between the ages of 13 and 21 have been charged by authorities in Lancaster, South Carolina, with the May 2 murder of a mother who was driving to meet friends in Rock Hill.
The body of 40-year-old Sharrell Thompson was discovered by Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office deputies with a gunshot wound behind the wheel of her vehicle on Riverside Road in Lancaster, located close to an hour south of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Authorities announced the arrests of three adults, including Asael Aminadas Torres-Chirinos, 21; Jarby Ardon Ramos-Odari, 18; Jeyson Sobied Pineda-Salgado, 17; and three juveniles, ages 13, 14 and 15, in connection with Thompson’s death on May 12, and a separate burglary that happened on April 30.
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“This shooting defies any sense of decency in a civilized society,” Lancaster Sheriff Barry Faile said in a Monday statement. “Ms. Thompson was going about her business on a Friday night, not bothering anyone. All of a sudden, these six men and boys — out to get something for nothing from someone they did not know and had no business bothering — pulled alongside her car, and Torres-Chirinos opened fire, killing Ms. Thompson.There’s no place in our society for acts like this or the people who commit them, and my hope is these six are never again among us.”
According to The Post, all six illegal immigrants have been placed under detainers by The Department of Homeland Security, Faile said in a press conference, adding that the community is a “much safer place today because these six individuals are off the streets.”
Faile claimed the suspects pulled up alongside Thompson and fatally shot her in what cops described as a “random robbery attempt.”
To the police, all six suspects were in the same vehicle with Torres-Chirinos, who was driving and allegedly shot Thompson.
The offenders reportedly attempted to enter her vehicle and then fled the scene once they realized that it was locked.
Cops were dispatched to the Van Wyck Mart at 644 Rock Hill Highway before 8 a.m. to investigate a burglary on April 30.
The store owner told cops that surveillance footage showed multiple young men trying to break into the store around 10:30 p.m., a day before.
They allegedly broke open a door on the northwest corner of the building once they couldn’t get inside, and it opened up to a bathroom that had access to the inside of the store.
Also, the suspects are accused of firing a handgun at a security camera and the bathroom door.
Detectives collected ballistic evidence linking two crime scenes—one a burglary, the other the murder of Thompson—located just seven minutes apart.
Forensic analysis confirmed that shell casings from both sites were fired from the same 9mm handgun, per reports.
Surveillance footage placed 21-year-old Elvin Torres-Chirinos at both locations. He was questioned on May 8 at the sheriff’s office, leading investigators to identify and detain five additional suspects later that day.
Three adult suspects now face charges of murder, attempted armed robbery, and second-degree burglary. Authorities allege Torres-Chirinos discharged the weapon in both incidents.
He faces two counts of firearms possession during the commission of a crime and one count of firearms possession by an unlawful alien, as a judge denied bond for all three adults.
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Three juveniles face the same felony charges, and according to the sheriff’s office, all six illegal immigrants are subject to removal from the U.S. under federal immigration law due to their immigration status.
