Sumter County deputies released more details about the killing of a 70-year old man, found shot in his auto repair shop on Airport Road last month in a suspected armed robbery.

It was in the garage of that auto repair shop where deputies found owner Willie McDuffie Sr. shot to death July 19th. According to some who knew him best, one of his favorite things to do was play checkers with his buddies at the Atlantic Avenue Checkers Club in Sumter.

“Loved to play, loved to have fun. Was just a fun-loving guy,” said Jerry Dix, one of McDuffie’s long-time friends, and a fellow patron at the checkers club. The place was a haven for McDuffie for more than two decades. Jerry and his brother Robert Dix got to know McDuffie well.

“He did a lot of work. Was one of the best transmission mechanics around here from what I heard,” said Robert. “A lot of people came up a long way to get his help.”

This week, Sumter County deputies arrested and charged 30-year-old Priscilla Graves with murder after they say she conspired with another person to rob McDuffie, asking him to meet her at the shop to discuss issues with her car.

Deputies tell WACH FOX News McDuffie was then robbed of a large sum of money and shot several times.

“He was a good person, came from a good family. A family man,” Robert added. “That was uncalled for.”

These long-time friends of McDuffie’s say they are planning a way to honor him through the club.

“One of the best guys around here. He was one of the top five checker players,” said Robert, remembering McDuffie.

All the while, they remain hopeful that everyone responsible for his murder will soon be brought to justice.

“It’s a tragedy. It is,” Jerry also said. “He was a friend to everybody.”

Graves is being held at the Sumter County Detention Center. She is also charged with one count of conspiring to commit armed robbery.

Deputies tell WACH FOX News they are zeroing in on another suspect in the case. They didn’t give many details but did say they believe it’s someone close to Graves.