LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — A 14-year-old boy is accused of shooting and killing a 44-year-old woman in Lancaster County, the sheriff’s office announced Tuesday afternoon.
The teen was taken into custody Monday evening and brought to the Department of Juvenile Justice Detention Center in Columbia.
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Paramedics tended to McIlwain but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Monday at about 6:40 p.m., Lancaster County dispatch got a call about shots fired at a home on Quiet Acres Road, which is north of the city of Lancaster. The first deputy on the scene found Veronica McIlwain on the floor. She had been shot.
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The 14-year-old was not at the home when deputies first got there but arrived shortly after. He was detained at that time.
Later in the evening, a 9mm pistol believed to be the weapon used, was found in a trash can in the restroom of a convenience store in Lancaster, the sheriff’s office said.
The juvenile is “delinquent for committing the offenses of murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and possession of a pistol by a person under 18,” the sheriff’s office said in a release.
No other information about the boy will be released because of his age.
“This is an ongoing investigation, but we believe we have an accurate account of the events that occurred on Quiet Acres Road last night,” said Sheriff Barry Faile. “We do not believe anybody else was involved. This is a tragedy for the family and friends of Ms. McIlwain, and our thoughts and prayers are with them.”
The Lancaster County coroner was called to the scene and an autopsy will be scheduled.
Return to this story for updates.
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