Beaufort police still investigating Christmas Eve killing, third this year on same street
A disproportionate number of Beaufort County homicides this year, including an unsolved shooting death Christmas Eve, has occurred on a single street in Beaufort.
Greene Street, a roughly 10-block stretch in the city's core, has been the site of three of the county's 18 total killings in 2015.
Henry Jerome Frazier, a 38-year-old Beaufort resident, was the most recent homicide victim on the street. He was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound about 9:15 p.m. Dec. 24, according to the Beaufort Police Department.
Police interviewed several witnesses in the area on the night of Frazier's death and are following leads, a news release said. Beaufort police Cpl. Hope Able said she could not comment on the case.
Beaufort County Sheriff's Office Capt. Bob Bromage said Monday that his office is assisting with the investigation but could not provide further details.
An autopsy on Frazier's body was performed over the weekend at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, but the preliminary report is not yet available, Beaufort County Coroner Ed Allen said Monday.
Frazier previously had been convicted of several weapons and drug charges. Most recently, he pleaded guilty in October to possession of cocaine and was sentenced to a long-term treatment program followed by probation.
Earlier this year, two other men were slain on Greene Street near the Charles Lind Brown Activity Center -- Detuan Jenkins, 19, of St. Helena Island on Feb. 9, and Matthew Horne, 20, of Dale on April 30.
In addition to the killings, Ver'mon Steve went missing under suspicious circumstances in October from his home on the same Greene Street block where Frazier was killed.
Janice Steve, the missing man's mother, said Monday that "it brings a tear to (her) eye" every time she hears about another violent incident in the area.
When she heard about last week's killing, Steve said she felt "very sad about it, and all I could think about was the family of the victim and how upset they must be -- especially with this happening during the holidays."
The Christmas Eve killing comes less than a month after more than 100 people turned out for a "Stop the Violence" rally at Washington Street Park in Beaufort.
Herbert Glaze, an assistant principal at Beaufort High School and a former Beaufort County Council member, leads the local group Citizens Against Violence Everywhere, or C.A.V.E.
"The bottom line is we need to stop the funerals," Glaze said Monday.
But he acknowledged there is no easy answer on how to prevent the violence.
"There is no magic wand to stop people from behaving the way that they do," he said.
Steve said Beaufort police should step up patrols around Greene Street and possibly consider a curfew.
"They need to saturate the area until (the violence) is brought to a halt," she said.
Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said Monday that police officers make a point of being present and visible in neighborhoods, particularly after violent incidents.
"Our officers spend most of their time in the street and very little in the office," he said.
But, he added, "it's almost like the Wild West" in some neighborhoods around Greene Street.
"There's a generation of young people who are absolutely fearless and they engage in selling drugs," Keyserling said. "Unfortunately, this generation of young men has not been brought up in a way that they have respect for themselves, others or life in general."
Glaze said it is up to the community to work with police and organizations like C.A.V.E. to end the violence.
"We need more trust between police and community," he said. "... If you see something, speak up and don't be afraid."
Keyserling agreed.
"I beg the community to let us know when they see something," he said.
Anyone with information about Frazier's death can contact Investigator Raley at 843-322-7914 or dispatch at 843-524-2777.
Follow reporter Lucas High on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Lucas.
Related content:
- 2 charged in kidnapping at home of missing Beaufort man, Nov. 18, 2015
- Christmas Eve homicide in Beaufort under investigation, Dec. 25, 2015
- On Beaufort's Greene Street, fear and hope live side by side, May 16, 2015
This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Beaufort police still investigating Christmas Eve killing, third this year on same street."