In June 2014, 48-year-old James Hood was found dead from a gunshot wound in his bedroom at the Caroline Court apartments in Lancaster, South Carolina. Family members who returned home discovered the body and reported that Hood’s brother-in-law, 29-year-old Jermaine Demarcus Grier, had been at the apartment that day; Grier allegedly confronted and held other family members at gunpoint, and a struggle allowed them to flee and call police. The motive for the initial shooting of Hood was not immediately made clear.

After leaving that scene, Grier reportedly went to a nearby West Brooklyn Avenue residence and shot at a 27-year-old female relative, then chased and assaulted her in a yard. A 49-year-old homeowner intervened and, during a physical confrontation when Grier attempted to enter the house, shot Grier in the abdomen. Law enforcement found Grier wounded on the front porch and recovered a handgun nearby; he was taken to a hospital in critical condition and later charged with Hood’s murder, attempted murder, first-degree burglary, and weapon possession.

What can readers add about Hood’s life or the neighborhood that might help understand what led to this night?