A suspect has been arrested and two are sought in connection to Sunday afternoon's fatal shooting on Wadley Drive in Aiken County that resulted in the deaths of three teenagers.
Around 11:15 p.m. Sunday, investigators arrested Xabian U. Bailey, 18, of Aiken, according to Captain Eric Abdullah with the Aiken County Sheriff's Office in a news release Monday. Bailey is expected to be charged with three counts of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Bailey will be charged in connection to the deaths of Willie Garrett, 17, Ivan Perry, 16, and Cameron Carroll, 16.
Two additional suspects have also been identified, and authorities are looking for information on the location of suspect Alvin Artis IV, 20, and a 15-year-old juvenile suspect, Abdullah said.
Information discovered during the investigation led investigators to a location on Lloyd Town Road where the suspects were believed to have been hiding. Bailey was discovered in the house, arrested without incident, and transported to the Aiken County detention center.
The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office and the Aiken County Coroner’s Office are investigating the deaths of three Black male teenagers in a shooti…
“This needless loss of life has created a void in families and a community that will have lasting effects,” said Aiken County Sheriff Michael Hunt in the release. “The quick arrest of Bailey is the result of intelligence gathering by investigators of all disciplines, which include the newly assigned gang investigators. There is no doubt that this senseless violence is the result of gang members who have no regard for the sanctity of life.”
The Aiken County Sheriff's Office responded around 1:30 p.m. Sunday to a call about shots fired at a home on Wadley Drive. The three victims were found in the front yard of the residence.
Witnesses told investigators that before gunshots were heard, the three victims were involved in an argument with three Black male suspects, according to the Sheriff’s Office release.
The suspects left the scene in a black Hyundai Elantra or Sonata, the Sheriff’s Office release stated. The car was a four-door sedan and was last seen by witnesses when it turned onto Edgefield Highway.
Autopsies are scheduled for Wednesday in Newberry.
The three victims were students at Aiken High School, according to Stephanie Behrendt, communications coordinator with Aiken County Public School District.
"The Aiken County Public School District and Aiken High School families are mourning the loss of three Aiken High School students, 17-year-old Willie Lee Garrett, 16-year-old Ivan Izell Perry, and 16-year-old Cameron De’onate Carroll during an unspeakable act of gun violence Sunday afternoon," the school district said in a statement. "Counselors are available at Aiken High this week for parents, faculty, and students who need support. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of these students and all members of the Aiken High School family."
The Aiken County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information on the location of the suspects, who should be considered armed and dangerous, to contact 803-648-6811 or through Midlands CrimeStoppers at 1-888-274-6372.
Aiken Standard staff writer Dede Biles contributed to this story.
