Rock Hill shooting victim ‘would do anything’ for others. Now she needs help.
At the Microtel Inn in Rock Hill, staff has to smile at guests. That’s the job.
But those smiles for a week have been tempered by tears. One of the motel employees was shot at her home Feb. 12 in what police said was a violent attack by a suspect. Two other women at another house were shot, and one died.
Laquata Wilson, 35, has been a front desk clerk at Microtel for more than a year. Her co-workers and manager said Wilson, a single mother of daughters ages 18 and 10, goes out of her way to help everyone.
“To know Laquata is to love her,” said co-worker and friend Lara McConnell. “She would do anything for anyone to help them out.”
McConnell said Wilson worked extra shifts to make ends meet and sold hair products online for extra money.
“Laquata is a wonderful mother,” McConnell said. “She has a long road to recovery.”
Wilson remains in the hospital after several surgeries. Police said she was shot at her Farlow Street home by acquaintance Marques Heath. Heath was armed with a stolen shotgun, police said.
Police said Heath shot two other women, killing one of them, and attacked three others with a hammer at a Leach Road home minutes before Wilson was shot on Farlow Street.
Shanijela Shamicheal Williams, 20, of Rock Hill was shot and killed at the Leach Road home.
The Microtel co-workers have set up a GoFundMe account to raise money to help Wilson and her daughters.
Another co-worker, Jami Konetski, said she talked to Wilson before the shooting; Wilson was going to bring food to feed Konetski’s children. She also watched Konetski’s kids and gave them clothes.
That was Wilson’s regular manner of grace and generosity, Konetski said.
Konetski was emotional, crying, when describing how Wilson had helped her and others.
“Now Laquata is going to need a lot of help from everybody,” Konetski said. “This is a way we can all help her.”
Dilip Patel, owner of the motel on Riverview Road in Rock Hill near Interstate 77, exit 82, said Wilson is a great person and the staff wants to help her.
“We will do all we can to help her and her family,” Patel said.
The investigation into the shootings continues, said York County Sheriff’s Office Det. Walter Beck. Bethany Farrar, shot at the Leach Road home, also remains in a Charlotte hospital but is improving, Beck said.
Farrar is pregnant, police said.
Heath was arrested just weeks before on charges of domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature against Farrar at the same Leach Road home, police documents show. Prosecutors were seeking to revoke Heath’s bond after that January arrest. The shootings happened a day before a scheduled court hearing.
Heath also was out on bond for drug, weapons and domestic violence charges in September.
Heath remains jailed without bond on a charge of murder, two counts of attempted murder and dozens of other charges. Police have not released a motive.
This story was originally published February 19, 2019 at 3:24 PM with the headline "Rock Hill shooting victim ‘would do anything’ for others. Now she needs help.."
