‘It’s everybody I knew.’ Sumter police officer knows, worked with, all seven victims shot, one fatally, in Florence BY KAYLA ROBINS tending Monday. financial reasons to be closer to [email protected] Cpl. Thomas West home. wanted to be a cop “Whether you change jobs or SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2018 $1.75 A piece of black fabric cut when he grew up and what, [Florence] is still my family through the middle with a blue got that chance when away from my new family,” West SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 line was wrapped horizontally he moved to Sumter said. around the police officer badge. WEST from Ohio and left the He used to see Sgt. Terrence Car- His badge placed him at Sumter labor industry. His raway every day. Police Department, but his mind first job was at Flor- On Wednesday afternoon, Flor- was in Florence County with six ence Police Department. He ence County deputies arrived at a of his former co-workers and the worked there for 10 years before supervisor whose funeral he is at- transferring to Sumter in 2016 for SEE WEST, PAGE B10 4 SECTIONS, 30 PAGES | VOL. 123, NO. 251 SPORTS Celebrating The LEADER in Me U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Kristof- fer Bruce and his daughter Khloe Bruce embrace for a photo Thurs- day after she was named one of Important wins the school’s Student Leaders of Clemson rolls over Wake; the Month. USC nips Missouri B1 Complete coverage of Friday’s prep football B1 PANORAMA Dollhouse design Kayleb Rankins is seen with his boom is thanks to social parents, Clyde and Tiffany Rankins, after Thursday’s break- media connections A5 fast. Rankins, 9, was selected as a third-grade classroom Student DEATHS, B5 and B6 Leader of the Month. Waymen Cantey Lessie Mae Harris Sam Tindal Dorothy Nell B. Rose Lila Hughes Reed Carrett Eugene Vining Ruth H. Sprott Jerry Laverne Arrants Tony L. White Simplicia M. Branham Evelyn V. Dabbs Robert Smith Candy Sue C. McKenzie Parnell W. Reed Kendall M. Jenkins Selma W. Tennant Tyson Mack WEATHER, A12 A Shaw Heights Elementary MOSTLY SUNNY AND WARM School student holds a Student Sun and clouds today; partly cloudy PHOTOS BY MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM Leader of the Month certificate Malik Singleton-Tabor accepts his medal for being named one of Shaw Heights Ele- with showers possible tonight. on Thursday morning. mentary School’s Student Leaders of the Month on Thursday. HIGH 87, LOW 71 New character-based program aims INSIDE CONTACT US to improve Sumter students’ behavior Classifieds C7 Info: 774-1200 Comics D1 Advertising: 774-1237 BY BRUCE MILLS The program is called “Leader in [email protected] Me,” and on Thursday, one of the dis- Outdoors C6 Classifieds: 774-1200 trict’s participating schools — Shaw Opinion A11 Delivery: 774-1258 hat are the character- Heights Elementary School on Shaw Reflections C4 News and Sports: Air Force Base — held its first Stu- istics of a good lead- USA Today C1 774-1226 dent Leader in Me Breakfast to honor Yesteryear C5 er? That’s a question students for their selection as the W school’s first Student Leaders of the many adults ponder each day. Month. Students’ families were also Now, elementary school students in in attendance as their children were VISIT US ONLINE AT the .com five Sumter School District schools recognized in the school’s gym. are learning those qualities as part of The “Leader in Me” curriculum is Olivia Salas Sagat high fives with a new character education-based pro- based on the book “The Seven Habits her dad after being named one of gram for youth that has a reputation of Happy Kids” by Sean Covey. the Student Leaders of the Month for creating a cultural shift in during a breakfast Thursday schools. SEE LEADERS, PAGE A10 morning. Kavanaugh confirmed: Senate OKs Supreme Court nominee 50-48 WASHINGTON (AP) — The was 50-48, capping a fight that struggle over judicial ideology ed over the roll call, his poten- and Senate control are in play, bitterly polarized U.S. Senate seized the national conversa- into an angrier, more complex tial tie-breaking vote unneces- will prompt infuriated women narrowly confirmed Brett Ka- tion after claims jumble of questions about vic- sary. and liberals to stream to the vanaugh on Saturday to join emerged that Ka- tims’ rights, the presumption The vote gave Trump his polls to oust Republicans. the Supreme Court, delivering vanaugh had of innocence and personal at- second appointee to the court, In final remarks just before an election-season triumph to sexually assault- tacks on nominees. tilting it further to the right the voting, Senate Republican President Donald Trump that ed women three Acrimonious to the end, the and pleasing conservative vot- leader Mitch McConnell of could swing the court right- decades ago — battle featured a climactic roll ers who might have revolted Kentucky said a vote for Ka- ward for a generation after a which he em- call that was interrupted sev- against GOP leaders had Ka- vanaugh was “a vote to end battle that rubbed raw the KAVANAUGH phatically de- eral times by protesters in the vanaugh’s nomination this brief, dark chapter in the country’s cultural, gender and nied. Those alle- Senate Gallery before Capitol flopped. Democrats hope that Senate’s history and turn the political divides. gations magnified the clash Police removed them. Vice the roll call, exactly a month page toward a brighter tomor- The near party-line vote from a routine Supreme Court President Mike Pence presid- from elections in which House row.” Choose The Bank That Works Hard For You It’s a world of difference when you bank with someone who lives and works in your community. When you need a car loan, checking account, credit card, or home mortgage, we speak your language. And we make decisions locally, not in a board room hundreds of miles away. We’re all the bank you’ll ever need. As the bank’s president, I make sure of that every day. Barry Ham Sumter: 803.469.0156 Manning: 803.433.4451 bankofclarendon.com ."//*/(t46.5&3t4"/5&&t46..&350/t8:#00 A2 | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2018 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Judge denies bond for shooting suspect BY ADRIENNE SARVIS and one bullet was removed from [email protected] his body, according to the report. The teen was reported to be in Bond for Byron Lyons was denied stable condition as of Tuesday. during a first appearance hearing Two individuals who brought the at Sumter County Detention Center victim to the hospital said they on Friday in connection with the were at the incident location and shooting of a teen earlier this week. heard four or five gunshots but At the request of Sumter County could not provide information on investigators, Magistrate Judge who fired the shots nor provide a Larry Blanding denied bond for vehicle description. Lyons, 25, who is charged with at- Lyons is also facing charges after tempted murder and possession of a a Sept. 18 arrest when deputies re- weapon during a violent crime for sponded to a possible burglary in allegedly shooting an 18-year-old on progress at a residence on Betsy Monday night. Lane. Lyons told investigators he still A responding deputy reportedly has the firearm used in the shoot- spoke to Lyons and a co-defendant, ing and refused to give it to law en- Juwone D. Kelley-Jay, while they forcement unless he was released were inside the residence, a report on bond, according to Sgt. Wayne states. DuBose, an investigator for Sumter Lyons reportedly attempted to County Sheriff's Office. flee on foot before he was appre- He said Lyons was also out on hended. bond at the time of the shooting for Deputies found 51 grams of mari- drug trafficking and firearm charg- juana and 14 grams of crack inside es, which added to the sheriff's of- a backpack Lyons was carrying, fice's request for bond to be denied. and $391 in cash was found in his The parents of the victim also re- pants pocket. Five counterfeit $100 quested that bond be denied. bills and $228 in real currency were Lyons will have a hearing in gen- found in Kelley-Jay's pants pocket. eral sessions court at a later date. A .45-caliber Glock 21 Gen4 pistol As he was leaving the courtroom, with an extended magazine and 23 Lyons made comments to the family rounds were also found on the regarding the shooting, but his kitchen counter of the residence. words were not comprehensible. The gun was later confirmed to While waiting outside the court- have been stolen from Colleton room after the hearing, the victim's County. parents said they know Lyons and Lyons and Kelley-Jay — who are said their son saw the suspect dur- ADRIENNE SARVIS / THE SUMTER ITEM banned from possessing firearms — ing the incident Monday night. Byron Lyons listens to Magistrate Judge Larry Blanding during a first appearance hear- denied possession of the pistol Lyons is accused of shooting the ing at Sumter County Detention Center on Friday. though both suspects were seen in teen at a location on River Birch the vicinity of where the gun was Drive. found. Before the shooting, residents re- striking the victim, before fleeing. after receiving a call that the victim Lyons was charged with posses- ported a fight in the same area Lyons reportedly returned to the was in the emergency room with a sion of stolen goods, felony posses- which ended before deputies ar- area and fired more shots in the di- gunshot wound.