Rock Hill man charged with murder in shooting death of SC rapper in York County
Editor’s note: In an earlier version of this article, the suspect’s last name, McCullough, was misspelled. The sheriff’s office released the names and has corrected the spelling.
A Rock Hill man has been charged with murder in the January shooting death of a South Carolina rapper in York County, officials said.
Christopher LaMont McCullough, 22, was served an arrest warrant in connection with the shooting charging him with murder, York County Sheriff’s Office officials said. McCullough also was served warrants charging him with possession of a weapon during a violent crime, jail and court records show.
McCullough, who was in the York County jail, had been charged Friday with possession of drugs with intent to distribute in connection with the Jan. 23 shooting death. Paul Harts, 19, of Farfield County was fatally shot on Jan. 23. Harts, whose stage name as a rapper was 18veno, died after he was shot in a car on McShea Drive near Rock Hill, said York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson.
McCullough lives on Brownstone Drove near the shooting site, officials said.
Case is drug-related, sheriff says
Tolson, the sheriff, did not release specifics in the shooting, but confirmed the case involved drugs.
“We believe this case and the death of the victim were drug-related,” Tolson said.
Khalil Lahenra Robinson, 20, of Winnsboro, S.C., was charged by sheriff’s deputies Thursday night with voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Harts.
Robinson is an acquaintance of Harts, said Trent Faris, spokesman for the sheriff’s office. The relationship between McCullough, Robinson and Harts has not been released.
McCullough and Robinson are being held in the York County jail without bond after first court appearances.
Two shooting death cases within 3 hours
The shooting death of Harts on Jan. 23 was one of three killings in York County within a three hour period, officials said. Two teens were killed in Rock Hill earlier that night on Byars Street, Rock Hill Police Department officials said. The Rock Hill Byars street double homicide remains unsolved, police said.
Tolson said sheriff’s office detectives do not believe the two cases are connected.
This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 9:33 AM.
