Three adults and three juveniles have been arrested in connection with the death of Larisha Sharell Thompson, a 40-year-old mother who was shot dead while driving in Lancaster, South Carolina. All six of the arrested suspects are illegal aliens, as per the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Videos by Suggest
According to the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), on April 30, depùities arrived at Van Wyck Mart after an unsuccessful burglary attempt. Several young men had attempted to enter the store, to no avail. One individual, however, fired two shots inside the store’s bathroom.
Days later, during the night of May 2, Thompson was driving her vehicle on Riverside Road when a car approached her. One individual inside it, as per the LCSO, opened fire at Thompson’s Honda Accord. She died as a result, and the vehicle’s occupants allegedly tried to enter her vehicle. They failed, as the vehicle was locked, so they all fled the scene.
Investigations concluded that the same gun that was discharged inside the store was the same one that killed Larisha Sharell Thompson. As per the LCSO, video surveillance and digital evidence helped identify Asael Aminadas Torres-Chirinos, 21, as one of the suspects.
Furthermore, police found a gun in Torres-Chirinos’s home. Police determined that the gun was the same gun that was discharged in both incidents. Allegedly, Torres-Chirinos was the one who pulled the trigger.
Suspects Arrested And Charged
After being questioned by police, five other suspects were identified and detained. In total, three adults, including Torres-Chirinos, and three juveniles have been arrested. The adults also include Jarby Ardon Ramos-Odari, 18, and Sobied Pineda-Salgado, 17. The juveniles remain identified, but their ages were revealed to be 15, 14, and 13.
As per Homeland Security, all suspects are illegal aliens from Honduras. Moreover, Torres-Chirinos has been arrested previously for a 2023 domestic violence incident.
Torres-Chirinos, Ramos-Odari, and Pineda-Salgado have been charged with murder, attempted armed robbery, and second-degree burglary. The three juveniles were charged in Department of Juvenile Justice petitions with murder, attempted armed robbery, and second-degree burglary.
As per the LCSO, should the suspects be eligible for release before any charges are resolved in court, Homeland Security will take custody of them.
“Our intention is that all six remain detained until they face the full weight of our judicial system,” LCSO Sheriff Barry Faile said.
Sheriff Faile denounced the shooting, saying it “defies any sense of decency in a civilized society.”
“Ms. Thompson was going about her business on a Friday night, not bothering anyone,” Faile said. “There’s no place in our society for acts like this or the people who commit them, and my hope is these six are never again among us.”