South Carolina man shoots and kills daughter mistaking her for intruder when she tried to enter their home
A South Carolina man who accidentally shot and killed his daughter after mistaking her for an intruder at their home has been charged in connection to the incident.
According to WYFF4, 43-year-old Jermaine Pressley faces charges of murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and three counts of felon possession of a firearm over the shooting death of his 23-year-old daughter Nadeja Jermainequa Pressley on Sunday, May 19.
A news release from the Greenville County Coroner's Office said Nadeja was shot through the door as she was about to enter her Greenville home at around 1.15 am that morning. Sheriff's Office Lt. Jimmy Bolt confirmed in a statement that Pressley heard someone trying to enter his home, so he shot her through the door.
She was pronounced dead at the scene, with the coroner's office ruling that it was the gunshot which fatally wounded the 23-year-old. Her autopsy was performed on Monday, May 20, though the results are not publicly available. The incident has left many in the neighborhood in shock. "I just heard gunshots," said neighbor Regina Harvey. "And went out on the porch and I saw police everywhere, everywhere. That's just a sad feeling [sic]."
Melvin Grover, a member of the nearby St. Luke Holiness Church, said, "It's a sad day today, and it's a tragic moment that happened in the neighborhood, and we are so heartbroken about it," adding he will not hesitate when it comes to helping the family.
However, it wasn't the shooting for which Pressley was initially arrested. The Sheriff's office said when investigators arrived at Pressley's residence on Young Street and were on scene investigating Nadeja's death, they found drugs and three guns. Greenville County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Ryan Flood declined to discuss how deputies discovered them.
He said a records search found that deputies had not been called to the address for the past years, though the fact that arrest warrants refer to a search warrant probably stems from the fact that he had a prior conviction for possession with intent to distribute heroin.
"The amount that was found was the amount that was necessary meaning over 1 gram of heroin, also over 1 gram of Cocaine to charge with the intent to distribute," Flood explained.
Sheriff's Office and Greenville County Detention Center records indicate Pressley was subsequently charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, though the murder charges quickly followed. Pressley was denied bond at a preliminary hearing on May 19. The 43-year-old is currently being held at the Greenville County Detention Center. It's unclear if he has a lawyer.