Four charged in concert shooting that killed teen and injured 14 others, SC cops say
Police have arrested four people in connection with a North Charleston shooting last month that left a teenager dead and 14 others injured.
Tyquan Denard Cooper, 20, and Manqual Laval Horlbeck, 21, were arrested Thursday morning and charged with manslaughter and 12 counts of possessing a firearm during commission of a violent crime, Major Ken Hagge with the North Charleston Police Department said during a news conference.
Officers arrested a third and fourth person Thursday afternoon. Tye Robinson Jr., 18, and Malachi Wigfall, 18, were charged with one count of manslaughter, 12 counts of assault and battery and one count of possession of firearm during the commission of a violent crime.
The investigation is ongoing and more charges are expected, Hagge said.
Police were called to an area near Piggly Wiggly Drive and W. Jimtown Drive in North Charleston around 10:30 p.m. on May 23 in response to a shooting at an unauthorized concert, The State reported. A 14-year-old girl was killed and 14 others were injured.
Ronjanae Smith was shot just before 10:30 p.m. and died at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital the following morning, according to the Charleston County Coroner.
Hundreds of people attended Smith’s funeral on Tuesday, WCIV reported.
“Out of 14 people, there were nine females — nine females, young ladies — that were victimized,” Police Chief Reggie L. Burgess said Thursday. “One lost their life. Ronjanae Smith, may she rest in peace.”
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Hagge said the shooting was a result of two gangs “having a beef.”
“They saw each other and they began shooting at each other, not caring who was in between,” he told reporters. “That’s how we had so many victims.”
Hagge wouldn’t say how many shooters there were or the number of shell casings at the scene. But he said Horlbeck was one of the individuals who was shot.
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Police received dozens of tips from the community after the shooting, and investigators are still talking to witnesses and reviewing video footage from that night.
“People are tired of this,” Hagge said. “They’re sick and tired of it.”
This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Four charged in concert shooting that killed teen and injured 14 others, SC cops say."
