Bluffton student injured during shooting that killed his cousin is home, family says
A 16-year-old Bluffton High student hospitalized after suffering two gunshot wounds in a March 5 shooting was released from the hospital Monday, according to a statement from his family.
Edwin “EJ” Graham Jr., a sophomore at Bluffton High, ”will be under home health care” as he attends “numerous follow up appointments” for his injuries, according to his mother, Vicky Fields.
“Words cannot express the love and gratitude felt from the outpouring of community support with your phone calls, texts, messages, food, donations and prayers,” she wrote Tuesday.
She added that Graham is now aware that his 18-year-old cousin, Dwon “DJ” Fields Jr., was killed in the drive-by shooting at Bluffton and Hampton parkways.
“As you can imagine my son is heartbroken, as am I,” she said. “The next days and weeks to come will be difficult. I ask that you continue to keep all the families involved in your prayers.”
She asked that people refrain from visiting Graham at home due to the “fragile state” of his health.
A GoFundMe, named the “Edwin Graham Jr. (EJ) recovery fund,” has raised more than $26,000 for his hospital expenses.
A third student injured in the shooting, 18-year-old Kylan Simmons, was treated at the hospital and released on March 6. A GoFundMe, “Coming Together for Kylan Simmons,” has been established to help with counseling costs, as well as Simmons’ college expenses. He is expected to attend Limestone University in Gaffney, S.C., in the fall on a football scholarship.
Investigation
Four people have been charged in the 11 days after the fatal shooting. The investigation remains open, according to Bluffton Police.
Warrants for two people arrested hint that an unidentified fifth person was involved in the shooting. The department has not released the name of that person, whether any connection exists between the defendants and the victims, or any information regarding a motive.
Capt Joe Babkiewicz said police could not release the report until their investigation is complete. This account is pieced together from arrest warrants, public statements from police, and court proceedings.
Bluffton officers were dispatched to a single-vehicle accident about 11:30 p.m. on March 5. A shooting sent the car veering off the road near Bluffton and Hampton parkways. A preliminary report indicated that at least 14 Bluffton police officers responded to the scene.
They found the driver dead and two occupants injured.
The driver, DJ Fields, was a senior defensive lineman on the Bluffton High School football team.
One day later, Bluffton Police charged two siblings and former May River High School students with accessory to murder.
The 18-year-old siblings, Jayden and Shayniah Void, told police investigators that they directed three people to Fields’ car on Bluffton Parkway, according to the warrants.
The Voids allegedly watched as the three people fired at the car in a drive-by shooting.
Last week, two Jasper County men who were wanted for murder and attempted murder in the case turned themselves in: Ty Leic Chaneyfield, 18, of Ridgeland and Jimmie Green, 19, of Hardeeville.
The warrants for Chaneyfield and Green say “two co-conspirators” identified them to police as taking part in the shooting.
A judge delayed a decision to set bond for Chaneyfield and Green.
Freddy Woods, a South Carolina attorney representing Jimmie Green, said before bond court that “it is unfair to presume guilt on anyone until the evidence is out.”
The Fields family attended the hearing on Thursday and told the court about their grief.
“We were just planning a graduation, now we’re planning a funeral,” said Kema Bryant, DJ Fields’ mother. “What am I supposed to do now?”
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 3:36 PM.
