Lamar Maurice Shannon, a 34 year old from Allendale, was sentenced to 18 years without parole for the homicide of Schanen T. Samuels, age 34. On Labor Day in 2016, Shannon intentionally drove his vehicle at a high rate of speed into a crowd of people at the Circle K in Ridge Spring in Saluda County. Shannon pled guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter earlier today and the sentence was imposed by Circuit Court Judge Walton J. McLeod, IV. This case was investigated by the Ridge Spring Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant Solicitor Sutania A. Fuller.

On September 5, 2016, around 8:00 p.m., Samuels and his family went to the Circle K where a friend Shannon engaged in a verbal altercation with one of Samuels’ family members. Samuels reportedly was trying to stop the altercation. Multiple witnesses reported that Shannon backs up his compact SUV on the side of the Circle K just prior to accelerating into the crowd at an extremely high rate of speed. He struck one other individual prior to striking Samuels. Samuels’ body ended up in the roadway over fifteen (15) feet away. Several witnesses report that Shannon then turns up the road and comes back intentionally running over the body again. Shannon’s friend then jumps in the car and they flee the scene. Several witnesses were able to describe Shannon as the driver of the vehicle. Samuels was pronounced dead at the scene.

A volunteer fireman who witnessed some of the incident pursued Shannon. He and his sons were able to set up a perimeter around the woods where Shannon and his friend were hiding until law enforcement arrived. Multiple law enforcement agencies assisted and the bloodhounds were able to successfully locate Shannon and his friend hiding in the woods.

The vehicle was abandoned near the woods and later processed by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Crime Scene agents. Samuels’ blood and hair were recovered from the undercarriage of the trunk area of the vehicle and DNA analysis confirmed that the blood and hair belonged to Samuels.

An autopsy conducted by Dr. Janice Ross in Newberry determined that Samuels sustained multiple blunt force injuries to include a fractured skull with lacerated brain, fractured ribs, fractured pelvis, and multiple abrasions, contusions, and lacerations about his body.