The victim of Tuesday’s shooting on Laurens Street was pronounced dead Saturday night, according to the Aiken County Coroner’s Office.
Larry Swearingen, 42, of Aiken was pronounced dead at 7:24 p.m. at Augusta University Medical Center where he was receiving treatment for his injuries after being shot in Aiken, according to a Sunday afternoon news release from Darryl Ables, Aiken County coroner.
Local law enforcement agencies will increase patrolling in areas affected by the recent upti…
Swearingen will be autopsied in Newberry. The Aiken Department of Public Safety is investigating the shooting.
Larry's wife, Jess Swearingen, said he is a U.S. Army veteran and described him as "strong" and always trying to help someone.
Jess said Larry is currently undergoing tests and procedures to be an organ donor.
"He was amazing," Jess said. "Through the organ donations he will live on and he will die doing what he would have wanted to be doing – helping someone else, even a stranger."
Investigators are still searching for the shooting suspect, identified as Dae’Kwon Simmons, 17, of Aiken.
Dae’Kwon Simmons, 17, of Aiken was identified as a suspect in Tuesday's shooting on Laurens Street.
Police, including Public Safety and the Aiken County Sheriff's Office, responded to the Laurens Street scene around 5:35 p.m. Tuesday.
Lt. Jake Mahoney, with Aiken Public Safety, said the shooting was initiated from a verbal altercation between Simmons and Swearingen.
Investigators have identified Dae’Kwon Simmons, 17, of Aiken as the suspect in Tuesday's sho…
Simmons will be charged with murder, Mahoney said. Other charges may be forthcoming. Simmons is not in custody at this time.
Investigators have arrested and charged a 14-year-old male with accessory after the fact of a felony in connection to this shooting. The juvenile is currently being held at Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia, according to the news release.
Local law enforcement agencies will increase patrolling in areas affected by the recent uptick in gun violence in the Aiken County area.
Both the Aiken Department of Public Safety and the Aiken County Sheriff's Office will increase patrolling in those areas and are collaborating in response to recent gun violence.
Aiken County has seen five shooting incidents in the past week, the first being a shooting at Waterloo Street on the morning of Aug. 2 which led to the death of a Graniteville teenager. Two suspects have been charged for involvement in the shooting.
Three more shootings that occurred the night of Aug. 4 are currently being investigated by the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office.
Two additional shootings followed on Tuesday, one on Laurens Street at Columbia Avenue and the other at Abbeville Avenue NW.
ADPS Lt. Jake Mahoney said there does not appear to be a connection between the Waterloo Street shooting and the Laurens Street shooting.
ADPS is still investigating the shooting on Abbeville Avenue NW.
“We’ve allocated additional resources to those areas,” Mahoney said. “We’ve increased our patrols in the community and those communities affected by this violence and will continue to do so.”
Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers of the Midlands at 888-CRIME-SC (888-274-6372).
One person was shot near Hahn Village in Aiken Tuesday evening, according to an Aiken Depart…
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