An 18-year-old male, Marion Ja’Quell Simuel, was fatally shot on the evening of Tuesday, September 17, 2024, at an apartment complex on Old Gilliard Road in Ridgeville, South Carolina. Deputies from the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office found Simuel with a gunshot wound; emergency responders attempted aid but he died and the Berkeley County Coroner’s Office confirmed the death resulted from the shooting.

Within hours investigators identified a person of interest and located the suspect’s vehicle the next morning, triggering a multi-county pursuit involving Berkeley and Dorchester County deputies on Interstate 26. A tire deflation device brought the vehicle to a stop and the suspect, identified as Amari Gathers, was taken into custody without further incident and booked into the Berkeley County Jail. Gathers was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Authorities say the shooting grew out of an ongoing dispute between Simuel and Gathers.

If anyone knew Marion Ja’Quell Simuel or has information about the events that evening, please come forward to assist the investigation.