LAURINBURG – Scotland County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two of three South Carolina men wanted in the November shooting of a man at a Gibson apartment complex.
Jamal Davon Easterling, 23, of Patton Street, Bennettsville, South Carolina was arrested on one felony count of attempted first degree murder and one felony count of conspiracy, according to Capt. Earl Haywood, chief detective of Scotland County Sheriff’s Office.
“He was located in South Carolina, we got a call on Thursday from [Marlboro County] Sheriff’s Office saying they had taken him into custody,” Haywood said. “He waived extradition, and we picked him up and processed him at Scotland County Sheriff’s Office.”
Easterling had a first court appearance on Monday and received a $1.5 million bond.
On Tuesday authorities located and arrested Jacobia Thompson, 33, of Ayers Street, Bennettsville for felony attempted first degree murder and felony conspiracy to commit murder, Haywood said. He was given a $100,000 bond.
Thompson has a first court appearance scheduled for today.
Easterling, Shedrick McLean and Jacobia Thompson, 24, all of Bennettsville were wanted in the Nov. 16 shooting that left Ramon Bines in critical condition.
Deputies were called to Gibson Village Apartments apartment 4 D on Church Street at 10:30 a.m. after reports of shots fired.
At the scene, deputies discovered that Bines had received multiple gunshot wounds, according to Haywood.
Bines was airlifted from Gibson Park to an undisclosed hospital.
Scotland County Sheriff’s Office worked with Bennettsville Police Department and Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office to corroborate witness accounts and gather information which led them to the three suspects, according to Haywood.
The shooting is believed to be the result of a domestic situation.
“One male and others came over to the apartment and had an altercation. During the altercation words were exchanged concerning a relationship between Bines and a female. A physical altercation ensued and guns were drawn,” Haywood said.
A check of court records in Marlboro County revealed that Easterling has nearly 20 pending and closed court cases dating to 2012 in which he was the defendant.
Records show that a true bill of indictment was returned against Easterling for attempted murder in April 2016. He was also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in that incident.
His pending charges include several charges for possession, manufacture and distribution of a cocaine base from April and November 2016; he is also charged with the sale or delivery of a pistol to and possession by, certain persons unlawful, and stolen pistol in one of the drug cases.
Easterling was convicted of common law robbery in 2012 and grand larceny in 2014. In those cases he was sentenced under South Carolina’s youthful offender act which states that a person 25 years of age or younger, charged with a non-violent offense can be shown mercy by the courts with regard to sentencing.
Thompson’s criminal history in Marlboro County consists of eight cases including traffic offenses. In 2009 he plead guilty to manufacture and distribution of a cocaine base. In 2007 Thompson plead guilty to unlawful carrying of a pistol.
Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of McLean is asked to call 911 or the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office crime tip line at 910-277-4258, Bennettsville Police Department at 843-479-3620 or Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office at 843-479-5605.
