WEST ASHLEY, SC (WCSC) -
Supplemental reports released Thursday by the Charleston Police Department shed new light, but also raise questions, on the events that transpired on the night 17-year-old Marley Lion was shot dead early last Saturday.
Police said earlier this week that Lion had left a party and was heading to his Johns Island home when he pulled over to take a nap inside his Nissan Pathfinder in the parking lot at 1662 Savannah Highway because he was "too intoxicated to drive."
A report states some friends of Lion's saw the teen that night at a party on Cornsilk Drive, in the Carolina Bay subdivision. However, they also said Lion left that party with a friend at approximately 1 a.m., and that Lion appeared to be sober upon leaving. Additionally, they only saw Lion drink one beer while he was there, the report states.
Police responded to the shooting a little over three hours later at 4:05 a.m., and Lion was found suffering from five gunshot wounds in his chest, gut, and upper leg areas, a report states. He was taken to MUSC where he died a short time later.
The reports also state that on each occasion where investigators asked Lion's friends if he had a history of drug use, they were told Lion was known as a casual user of marijuana, and in one interview, of hallucinogenic mushrooms. However, that friend also said Lion "would not purchase marijuana from strangers in unknown neighborhoods," and other friends interviewed by police echoed those sentiments.
Additionally, Lion's mother and stepfather told police "they would not be surprised if he would stay somewhere else because [Lion] was concerned about drinking and driving." Friends added that they knew of no reason for anyone to have a motive in the shooting.
The reports also contain a list of the items found inside Lion's car. Among them were: guitar picks, a guitar and a guitar case, miscellaneous CDs, chap-stick, an iPod, an Apple laptop computer, Visine, headphones, a bow tie, sunglasses, a check made out to Lion for $25, and $75 in cash.
As for the scene of the crime, police say that there have been 18 calls for service at 1662 Savannah Highway in 2012, including two armed robberies, two trespassing incidents, and one report of a suspicious person.
Police are still looking for the unidentified suspect. If you have any information regarding this crime, call Crime Stoppers at 554-1111.
Copyright 2012 WCSC. All rights reserved.
Marley Lion (Source: Facebook)
