Modern-Day Lynching In South Carolina

[bloodrayne]

Five Charged With Murder And Lynching In Teen's Death

Calhoun Falls, South Carolina -- Calhoun Falls police have arrested five people in connection with a fatal shooting Monday night, and officers say more arrests are possible.

Chief Mike Alewine said Emasio Morris, 18, was beaten with bricks and shot to death in the parking lot at the Hunters Blind Apartments on Easgate Street just before midnight.

Alewine said Rayshawn Lewis, 18, Catlin Lee Norman, 19, Marvin Kennedy, 17, Octavious Belcher, 19, and an unnamed juvenile, are in custody and have been charged with murder and first-degree lynching.

"Officers have been up all night and our whole police office has been up all night, working around the clock and doing an excellent job. It's just time consuming," Alewine said.

Alewine said the lynching charge comes from the number of people who allegedly attacked Morris.

Family members said Morris was visiting friends at the apartment complex when he was killed.

"I think it's very terrible that we live in a society where we cannot visit other communities and the people take amongst themselves to take someone else's life and have very little regard for human life," Foster Morris, Emasio's uncle, said.

"I want to say that you took someone special away from a lot of people, and even though we have memories of Emasio, we never have him with us again."

The State Law Enforcement Division is assisting in the investigation.