COLUMBIA, S.C. — Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said two teenagers have been charged with murder in the death of an AC Flora High School student.
Lott said D'Mari Flannigan and Javlenn Coates, both 17-years-old, are facing adult murder counts in the death of 18-year-old Carlisle Kelly.
Deputies say back on May 27, Kelly was found dead in the 1000 block of Frasier Street, which is off Bluff Road near Columbia. According to the deputies, they found several bullet holes in the driver's side door and Kelly unresponsive in the driver's seat.
Kelly was was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lott now says Kelly met up with the suspects at a location on Walcott Street, which is a short distance away, and were involved in what Lott said was illegal activity. When asked specifically what activity that was, Lott declined to answer.
Lott said the suspects shot Kelly then sat on top of him. They then drove to Frasier Street, Lott said, where they abandoned both Kelly and the car.
"No remorse whatsoever," Lott said about the killing. "Just total disregard for human life."
Lott said one of the suspects left a cell phone in the car, and that linked them to the crime. One arrest was made last Saturday, while the other was made Monday, according to Lott.
"You stand up here and just shake your head," Lott said about the gun violence he's seen in the community. "You just say 'why, why, why?'"
Lott said there are 14 murders so far this year in the county, two more than at this same time last year. However, there have been 54 people shot in 2021 during that time period, compared to 30 last year.
Kelly was a senior at AC Flora who played soccer, ultimate frisbee and ran cross country, according to an email from the school's principal, Susan Childs.
Deputies had said early in their investigation that they believed the incident was isolated, meaning they didn't think there was a broader threat to the public.
Tom Sunday, cross country coach and AP physics teacher at AC Flora said Kelly was an International Baccalaureate student, a program designed for academically driven students.