Chief Reggie Burgess is a Good Man
North Charleston PD doing the best they can against Crime
North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess shows surveillance camera photos of a weekend shooting at an Exxon on Ashley Phosphate Road in which a young child observed two men exchange gunfire when a man and woman met for a child custody drop-off. Burgess and nearly two dozen other people gathered at the intersection of Sumner Avenue and Attaway Street on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, where 21-year-old Ronald Simmons was shot Sunday night. Simmons later died of his injuries at Medical University Hospital. Brad Nettles/Staff
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Standing at the intersection of Attaway Street and Sumner Avenue in the Charleston Farms neighborhood, North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess, members of local clergy and the National Action Network called on the community to step up to gun violence.
The nearly two dozen people gathered at the intersection where 21-year-old Ronald Simmons was shot Sunday night. He later died of his injuries at Medical University Hospital.
Roughly seven hours after Ronald Simmons was shot, 34-year-old Lamont Simmons was shot outside the Dreams Restaurant & Sports Cafe on Dorchester Road early Monday, police said.
The two men, as well as the incidents, are not related, according to police.
“You know we’re tired of it, we’ve been tired of it,” Burgess said. “We’re not going to sit back and say this is another day, another walk in the park.”
Burgess showed surveillance camera photos of another shooting over the weekend at an Exxon on Ashley Phosphate Road in which a young child observed two men exchange gunfire during a child custody drop-off.
“In every frame you see a child, there is no excuse for that,” Burgess said. “Nobody can tell me that this child should be victimized in this way, it should never happen. This is not the wild, wild West. This is a community and this is what’s going on in our neighborhoods.”
An incident report released by police early Tuesday night provides more details about that shooting.
Around 3:50 p.m. on Saturday, two officers were in the midst of a traffic stop near 2170 Ashley Phosphate Road when they heard multiple gunshots coming from the nearby Exxon gas station, the report stated.
When they arrived, an employee showed them video surveillance that captured two vehicles, a black Nissan and a silver Mitsubishi, pull up in front of a candy shop near the Exxon, the report stated.
Avanti Fisher, 24, got out of the Nissan “to attempt a child custody transfer,” and Tyreece Smith, 29, got out of the Mitsubishi and walked up to Fisher, the report stated. A fight between the two broke out and at some point, shots were fired.
During the incident, the 3-year-old could be seen standing “next to” the suspects, according to the report.
North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess showed surveillance camera photos of a weekend shooting at an Exxon on Ashley Phosphate Road in which a young child observed two men exchange gunfire when a man and woman met for a child custody drop-off. Brad Nettles/Staff
A 2-year-old and a 6-month-old were inside the silver Mitsubishi, which suffered damage to its driver side window, the report stated.
Fisher was arrested on Sunday and charged with pointing and presenting a firearm, Burgess said. Smith remains at large.
Charles Tyler, president of the NAN’s Tri-County Chapter, said members of his organization will team up with the Police Department through a new initiative called Occupy The Corners, a community effort used in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Detroit. Later this month, the NAN chapter and the Police Department will hold a one-day training.
“We have so much killing in our community and we have to decrease these killings and get out and speak to the young people,” Tyler said. “We’re not out here to lock anybody up. We’re out here to educate young people on what they are doing, how they are getting these illegal guns in their hands and what they are doing to their future.”
Similar to a citizen patrol approach, clergy and police will stand on troublesome corners to talk to young people about gun violence. Krisalyn Komakech, co-founder of the Unity Prayer Alliance, also advocated for the community to come together.
Jillian Hollingsworth and her 4-year-old daughter Alyce hold a sign during a gathering of nearly two dozen people, including North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess, at the intersection where 21-year-old Ronald Simmons was shot Sunday night. Simmons later died of his injuries at Medical University Hospital. Brad Nettles/Staff
Jillian Hollingsworth, a North Charleston resident, said action needs to be taken at the state level.
Three people died from separate shootings Sunday and early Monday in the Charleston area. Charleston police are investigating the death of 30-year-old James Terry of North Charleston, who died at Medical University Hospital after being shot at Orleans Gardens Apartments in West Ashley.
The fatal shootings mark the 13th and 14th homicides in North Charleston and the fifth in the city of Charleston so far this year. There have now been 33 homicides in the tri-county area in 2019, according to a Post and Courier database.
Tyreece Smith, who is also known as “Killa” and “Tye,” is wanted by the North Charleston Police Department on suspicion of one count each of unlawful conduct toward a child and first-degree assault.
Tyreece Smith. North Charleston Police Department/Provided
Smith’s last known address was on South Tracy Street in Charleston, police said. He is described as a black male, 6 feet tall, 188 pounds; with black hair, brown eyes and a medium complexion.
He has “Killer T” and “Star with Vonnie,” tattooed on his person, police said.
If anyone has information on Smith’s whereabouts, contact Sgt. S. Perkins at 843-740-2858 or sperkins@northcharleston.org.
