On June 18, 2024, at about 12:35 p.m., 40-year-old Alesia Dykes was shot and killed at Walsh Drive Apartments in Hardeeville, South Carolina. The shooting followed an altercation in the complex parking lot that reportedly involved Dykes, 38-year-old Bernard Lyles, and a 49-year-old man identified as Charles Saunders of New York City. Lyles was critically injured at the scene and later died at Coastal Carolina Hospital.

Investigators say Saunders followed Dykes and Lyles into an apartment and opened fire. After a multi-hour manhunt, law enforcement located Saunders at a Waffle House in Ridgeland, about 15 miles from the apartments, and took him into custody without incident. He has been charged with two counts of murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and is being held at the Jasper County Jail while the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division assists the Hardeeville Police Department.

Authorities have not released a motive or detailed information about the relationships between Saunders and the victims. If anyone knew Alesia Dykes or has information about her movements or the altercation that day, please come forward.