‘Tragic mistake’: Rock Hill teen who shot friend gets prison as youthful offender
A Rock Hill teen has been sentenced to up to six years prison as a youthful offender after he shot a friend during an altercation with another person outside a Rock Hill QT store in April.
Carnell Isaiah Mike, 17, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter Monday in York County criminal court in the death of Jayden Reid, 16, of Chester.
Visiting Judge Keith Kelly sentenced Mike, who had no previous criminal record, to one to six years under what is called South Carolina’s Youthful Offender Act. Mike gets credit for 210 days in jail since Rock Hill police originally charged him with murder.
Prosecutor Chris Epting and Mike’s lawyer, 16th Circuit Public Defender B.J. Barrowclough, agreed to a plea to manslaughter with a cap of 10 years.
Prosecutor: Shooting happened after young people argued
The shooting happened outside the store on South Cherry Road April 22 where the incident was caught on video, Epting said in court. Mike had been in an argument with another person outside the store when he was hit in the face and knocked into some bushes, Epting said. A shot from a gun Mike was carrying hit Reid, Epting said.
The incident began earlier in the night at a high school parking lot where young people were showing off their cars and shooting off water guns, according to Epting. A shot from a BB gun that shattered a car window escalated the problems at the school before the confrontation shortly afterward at the store, Epting said.
Mike fled the scene before he was arrested by police at a motel in Chester, Epting said.
Reid’s mother, Timeka Fladger, said in court her son at age 16 was a victim of “senseless” gun violence. She said no guns should have been involved and “it’s not cute to be walking around here with a gun.”
“Nobody should have lost their life that night,” Fladger told Judge Kelly.
Fladger said she knows Mike and her son were friends, yet she has “a hole in my heart” left by her son’s death.
Defense: “Tragic mistake”
Mike told Judge Kelly he was “devastated” from the death of his best friend. He said the shooting was not intentional.
“I wish we never ran into these kids...” Mike told Judge Kelly. “I wish we could have been able to get away from them that night before things escalated.”
Barrowclough, his lawyer, said Mike had never been in trouble before and made the “tragic mistake” of bringing a gun that night. Mike has had “tremendous sorrow” since the shooting, Barrowclough said.
Mike knows he was wrong for bringing the gun, Barrowclough said.
“He made a bad judgment call that he took a gun to a fistfight,” Barrowclough said.
The defense investigation into the incident agreed with prosecutors that the water gun incident at the school changed when an apparent BB gun shot broke a car window, according to Barrowclough. Mike was asked to go to the school lot to help Reid and others get away from the school lot incident, Barrowclough said. Then at the store minutes later, Reid was trying to help Mike after Mike was hit in the face and the gun went off, Barrowclough said.
However, Mike was the victim of another person who threatened him and was aggressive at the store, according to Barrowclough. Others involved started the trouble and violence, but none of them have been identified or charged, Barrowclough said.
