‘Innocent bystander’: Task force, $5K reward year after woman murdered in Rock Hill
Police and federal agents have formed a task force with a $5,000 reward a year after the still-unsolved murder of a Rock hill native who was an innocent bystander at a local gathering.
Alexis Massey, 20, was shot in the head while at a get-together on Hagins Street in Rock Hill on May 10, 2021, said Police Chief Chris Watts. In the year since, no arrests have been made, Watts said Monday afternoon at a news conference outside Abiezer Baptist Church on Hagins Street, a block from the shooting site.
Gunfire in the street left Massey dead, Watts said.
“She was an innocent bystander killed by senseless gunfire,” Watts said. “She was shot while doing nothing more than talking with a friend.”
The area is three blocks west of the Rock Hill Police Department office and on the same street as a department substation.
Task force created
A task force made up of state, federal and local police is working the case, Watts said at the news conference. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, part of the task force, has offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers, Watts said at the news conference.
Other members of the task force include the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division, Rock Hill police and other South Carolina forensic and behavioral science police units.
Police are asking for the public’s help with information, Watts said. A tip hotline has been set up that is specific for the case at 803-329-5596.
Shots in the street
Watts said there were shots fired at the intersection of Hagins and Moore Streets around 11:30 p.m. on May 10, 2021. The shots were near the gathering where Massey was killed, Watts said. He said a Black Nissan Versa car may have been involved but did not provide a license plate or a specific year of the car.
Police declined to answer questions at the news conference, including if there are suspects in the case or if the shooting in the street is connected to any other crimes or incidents that happened before or since.
Watts said evidence has been collected since the shooting, but he declined to describe it.
Family asks for public help
Clergy as well as Massey’s friends and family members gathered at the news conference at Abiezer Baptist Church. Many wore T-shirts with pictures of Massey before she was killed.
She was a 2019 graduate of South Pointe High School in Rock Hill who moved to Spartanburg, where she owned a hairdressing business.
One of Massey’s sisters, Victoria, said Massey had already been successful in business, but she had dreams of other entrepreneurial success. Massey was a hard worker who was intelligent, selfless and inspiring to others, her sister said.
“You have taken away the joy of watching a successful Black woman prosper,” Victoria said of the killer or killers.
Another sister, Keisha, said Massey did nothing wrong a year ago.
Other family members urged people with information to contact police at 803-329-5596.
This story was originally published May 9, 2022 at 3:17 PM.
