Neighbors raise questions at community meeting after Summerville homicide

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Members of The Ponds neighborhood gathered tonight to get some answers after a 17-year-old was shot and killed in the Summerville community last Tuesday.

The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office joined residents of The Ponds for tonight’s briefing.

When speaking with Steven Wright, the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer, he said they’re here because the neighborhood asked them.

He said they’re here to share where they’re at in the investigation since arresting two people in connection with the case, 21-year-old Demanco Maurice Gethers and 17-year-old Madison Stone.

“The community ultimately wanted closure. They wanted closure, they wanted peace, they wanted to understand what we were able to share without compromising the integrity of the investigation,” Wright said.

About 100 community members were here to get the answers, and hopefully, some peace of mind.

“It’s been hard, it’s been hard. You don’t come into a neighborhood like The Ponds, or any subdivision and think somebody is going to get murdered around the corner of my house,” resident Ajana Claire Wise said.

Deputies on the case walked through the investigation with these neighbors and then opened the floor for any questions.

Wise said she’s fearful of the unknowns in this investigation.

“Even if there’s suspects in custody, we don’t if these people have people, right? There’s a lot of unknowns, so the fear that this can happen again as a follow-up incident is not a fear that’s going to go away,” she said.

Neighbors say they hope this will help the community move forward from this tragedy.

Since last week, neighbors say it has created a different tone in The Ponds since this is the first time they’ve seen anything like this.

“The reason why I feel like it’s probably a little bit more impactful here is because it’s an anomaly, it’s not something that’s a regular occurrence, and it shouldn’t be something that’s a regular occurrence in any other neighborhood,” Wise said.

Gethers is charged with voluntary manslaughter and criminal conspiracy, and Stone is charged with accessory before the fact of attempted armed robbery and criminal conspiracy, deputies said.

Deputies responded to a shooting reported shortly after 8 p.m. on Feb. 25, in the 200 block of Oak View Way in the Summerville neighborhood.

When they arrived, they found a 17-year-old shooting victim whom the coroner identified as Deangelo Dover Jr. of Summerville. Dover was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:45 p.m., Coroner Paul Brouthers said.

“Our deputies arrived on the scene just four minutes after the call, helping us gather critical information that was instrumental in identifying the suspect responsible for this crime,” Sheriff Sam Richardson said. “In Dorchester County, we have zero tolerance for violent crime or those who wish to undermine the safety of our citizens. This case demonstrates our office’s commitment to holding accountable those who break our laws.”

The investigation remains active, but deputies did not say whether additional arrests are expected.

Both Gethers and Stone were being held at the L.C. Knight Detention Center.