WSPA 7NEWS

Police name person of interest in downtown Spartanburg shooting

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – The Spartanburg Police Department named a person of interest in a downtown Spartanburg shooting, which left one person dead and another injured.

We previously reported officers were called to Magnolia Street at about 2:20 a.m. Saturday regarding a shooting.

Police said upon arrival, they found 31-year-old Dearrius Lynell Bobo, of Spartanburg, with a gunshot wound to his upper body lying on the sidewalk. Bobo died at the scene.

According to officers, a group of individuals was asked to leave by the security of the Local F.I.G due to an argument prior to the shooting. One of the individuals who was shot was never allowed into the bar.

When Bobo and another person were walking on the sidewalk away from the bar, someone in a red Toyota drove by and began shooting.

Officers were told that friends took the other victim to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. His condition is serious.

“One of the best things we can do is to find who’s person responsible,” said Maj. Art Littlejohn of the Spartanburg Police Department. “Our job now, at this point, is there is a bad guy that’s out there, and we may need the people to help us with that.”

The red Toyota sedan has been located, and Tyson Maurice Thompson was identified as a person of interest, the police department said. Littlejohn said they are still investigating a motive.

Tyson Maurice Thompson (Source: Spartanburg Police Department)

Several people who work in the area told 7NEWS they have not felt unsafe in downtown Spartanburg.

“There are a lot of cops who patrol around here,” said Sam Stevic. “They’re always really friendly. We have all of their business cards.”

The city of Spartanburg and police department said they hope this shooting does not stop people from visiting.

“Downtown is very safe,” said Christopher George, the city’s Communications and Marketing Manager. “You can look at our statistics and see that downtown is one of the safest areas in the city.”

“When we look at things and see what happened, it’s not necessarily where the area is but it’s who is responsible,” added Littlejohn. “Our focus is to find out who’s responsible, make the arrest and put the person in jail.”

This is an ongoing investigation. No arrests or warrants have been signed.