‘Merciless’: Rock Hill teens caught on store video killing 19-year-old, police say
A 19-year-old and a 16-year-old were caught on store video shooting another teen after they followed a different man out of the store, police said in court Thursday.
The video footage from Monday night’s shooting outside Adams Grocery on Wilson Street near downtown “left no doubt” that A’montae Kevion Markise White, 19, and the 16-year-old were the shooters, Rock Hill Police Department Detective Dustin Ochiltree said in court.
“The footage was shocking, the suspects acts were deliberate, calculated and merciless,” Ochiltree told Rock Hill Municipal Court Judge Dolores Williams after White turned himself in Thursday. “The entirety of this cold-blooded murder was captured on video surveillance at the business.”
Jy Querious Catoe, 19, of Rock Hill, died Tuesday after he was shot at least twice in the head while sitting in a car outside the store, according to police, court records, and the York County Coroner.
White and the 16-year-old are charged with murder, attempted murder, and weapons crimes.
Trouble started in store
Another man who was with Catoe went into the store near downtown before 10 p.m. Monday night. Inside he saw White and the other suspect then “turned to leave in fear” before the two suspects started firing at him, police said.
“Those fears were absolutely well founded,” Ochiltree said.
The suspects fired at the car as the second victim tried to get in, with bullets hitting Catoe in the passenger seat.
The suspects then ran.
The second victim has not been identified. Police have not said what previous relationship or trouble existed between the suspects and victims.
White did not speak in court Monday except to say he was going to hire a private defense lawyer.
Some members of Catoe’s family were in court but did not speak.
Judge Williams denied White bail. He will be transferred to the York County jail pending trial. A conviction for murder carries 30 years to life in prison in South Carolina, and attempted murder carries up to 30 years.
16-year-old suspect has same charges
Police arrested the 16-year-old late Wednesday night. He is in S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice custody. He has has not been identified because of his age.
It is yet unclear if York County prosecutors will seek to charge him as an adult. A conviction for murder in adult court carries a far more severe penalty than juvenile court, where all cases and potential jail time ends at age 22.
The 16-year-old has not yet appeared in York County Family Court. It is illegal in South Carolina for anyone under 18 to have a handgun.
This story was originally published July 10, 2025 at 7:57 AM.
