COLUMBIA, S.C. — Richland County deputies have arrested a suspect they say shot and killed a man who was trying to repossess a vehicle.
Deputies tell News19 46-year-old Steven Hughes was repossessing a car on Fairmont Road early Wednesday morning when he was shot and killed. Richland County deputies said 20-year-old Raheem Jackson shot him and was arrested later.
News19 spoke with neighbors who explain they've never seen anything like this happen in their neighborhood before. Neighbors said all the commotion started around 2 - 3 a.m.
"I heard this loud bang and I said oh my word and I reached down by my chair and got a long flashlight," said Mary Harmon, a neighbor who lives across the street." I keep one by my chair. And I came out and I was about the corner of that car and I saw all these sheriff's cars out there and so forth and people milling around and I just happened to point my flashlight down here to my flower bed and this man hollered and I said who are you. South Carolina sheriff's department, get back in that house,"
Harmon, who's lived in this house for over 55 years, told News19 she was jolted awake. It wasn't until late Wednesday afternoon that she spotted a stray bullet in her cabinet outside, right next to her garage door.
"And I've had a queasy stomach ever since," Harmon said.
Angela Cunningham, who lives down the street from Harmon was also woken up.
"You just wake up and your eyes open, you see lights flashing, I'm like what is that? And it was all the whole block," Cunningham said.
Both Cunningham and Harmon told News 19 they're going to be more cautious in the neighborhood from now on.
"I'm hoping our elected officials will step up to the plate and take care of the problem with this revolving door that we have. They go in to jail and they'd be out in a couple hours. They need to spend some time," neighbor Jerry Parker said.
Anna Wingard, the president of the Towing and Recovery Association of South Carolina, said state law reads that lien holders need to notify drivers of their car being repossessed, so it should not be a surprise when the tow truck driver shows up.
"I think that we are in a tough economic time that may even continue to get worse, so I do think that that is on the horizon, that we're going to see more repossessions and yeah, I mean that angers people," Wingard said.
According to the CDC, the towing industry is 15 times deadlier than all other private industries combined.
Wingard explained some tow truck drivers wear body cameras and carry a gun for their safety, but that the job often relies on the other people to change the level of safety and risk.
"That's very difficult for an employer to then continue on with that same line of business tomorrow or the rest of the day today and how do you carry on?," Wingard asked.
According to bond court, the man charged, Raheem Jackson, will have bond set in a general sessions courtroom. That date has still not been set.