Inset: Jayvion N. Rice (Spartanburg County Detention Center). Background: The area in South Carolina where Rice allegedly killed his girlfriend (Google Maps).
A tragic incident unfolded in South Carolina, where a 19-year-old man is alleged to have fatally shot his girlfriend during a domestic argument, leaving her 3-year-old child alone and calling for his mother from the couch.
Jayvion Nyrek Rice has been arrested and faces charges of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in connection with the death of 21-year-old Skyy Ernestasjah Logan, according to court documents.
The incident occurred around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deputies from the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of an accidental shooting at a residence on Farm Creek Road in Inman. WYFF, a local NBC affiliate, reported that the location is approximately 250 miles northwest of Charleston, South Carolina.
The 911 call was made by Rice’s mother, as reported by WSPA, a local CBS affiliate. More details can be found here.
Upon arrival, authorities found Logan outside on the front porch, suffering from a gunshot wound to her torso. She was rushed to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, where she later succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead just before midnight.
Initially, Rice claimed to investigators that the shooting was accidental, stating he was handling a firearm inside the home when it discharged. However, the sheriff’s office reportedly uncovered physical evidence that contradicts Rice’s account of the event being an accident.
Specifically, deputies reportedly discovered that the defendant and the victim had been in a romantic relationship and were in the middle of an argument when Rice fatally shot Logan. He was placed under arrest at about 1 a.m. on Wednesday, jail records show.
Rice made his first appearance in court on Wednesday where a county judge informed him that, if convicted, he faced a maximum possible sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors seeking to keep Rice held without bond until his trial provided additional details about the circumstances of the alleged murder, indicating that at least part of the shooting was captured on camera.
“The victim is 21-year-old Skyy Logan,” Assistant Solicitor Anthony Leibert told the judge in footage posted by WSPA. “Her 3-year-old little boy was sitting on a couch after the shooting, calling his mother’s name. He doesn’t know yet, he’s never gonna see her again. She was shot one time in the neck and the chest area. On the video, there’s blood exploding out of her body before she collapses and dies.”
The judge sided with prosecutors and ordered Rice to be held in the Spartanburg County Detention Center without bond. He is currently scheduled to make his next court appearance on April 16, records show.
