ROCKINGHAM — Five men have been charged in a shooting at a South Carolina nightclub that left two Richmond County residents dead and three other people wounded.
The Rockingham Police Department, working in conjunction with the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service, made the arrests Wednesday evening.
Three of the suspects were found at the apartments on Cauthen Drive, one was located on Lady Mary Lane and another turned himself in, according to Capt. George Gillenwater.
RPD worked to contain the perimeter to keep the suspects from escaping and served search warrants after the arrests were made by the Marshals, Gillenwater said. Part of Long Drive was shut down for about an hour while arrests in that area were made.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the arrests.
Those charged in the shooting are:
- 19-year-old Khalil Jaquan Watkins
- 21-year-old Antuan Latice Zeigler
- 27-year-old Kevin Robert Williams
- 24-year-old Marion Devonte Ellerbe
- 22-year-old Ja’vonte Marquel Dockery
All five suspects are from Rockingham.
According to the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office, all suspects have been charged with:
- Two counts of Murder
- Three counts of attempted murder
- One count of criminal conspiracy
- One count of discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle
They are accused of shooting outside Club Amnesia in McColl, South Carolina, just after 2 a.m. Sunday. Two were killed and three others were injured.
The victims in the shooting are 31-year-old Ronnie Oxendine and 23-year-old Bria Byrd, both of Richmond County. Byrd’s funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Oct. 18 at The James C. and Ruth P. Watkins Cultural Center (formerly Leak Street Cultural Center.) Oxendine’s funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Oct. 17 at Harrington Funeral Home.
Gillenwater said the arrests in the Cauthen Drive area would not have been possible without the help of the nearby residents.
“It’s good to see the citizens come forth and offer some insight that led to these arrests,” Gillenwater said.
The Rockingham Police Department may be filing additional charges against some of the suspects unrelated to the shooting in Marlboro County.
The five suspects will face an extradition hearing in Richmond County before facing arraignment in South Carolina, according to Lt. Trevor Murphy with the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
