Nine teenagers arrested after 16-year-old was lured to his death and filmed dying
Police in the US have arrested nine teenagers in wake of the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy.
Trey Dean Wright was tragically gunned down on 24 June in a rural area in Florence County, South Carolina, after a row 'over a female' erupted, cops say.
Investigators believe the young lad was lured to the remote location in the city of Johnsonville by his girlfriend, Gianna Kistenmacher, 17.
Upon his arrival, Trey was then confronted by a gang of teenagers in what police believe was a planned set-up.
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Reports claim that 19-year-old Devan Raper was lying in wait for the varsity athlete while armed with a deadly weapon - which he is accused of then using to kill Trey.
As other members of the group allegedly filmed the incident which police say started out as a 'verbal altercation', it is claimed that Raper then fired several gunshots at the 16-year-old.
Chillingly, the American teens are said to have continued recording footage of Trey as he lay dying in the street.
Police descended on the scene at around 11.30pm that evening, where they then found the lad 'laying in the roadway with multiple gunshot wounds'.
Trey was rushed to hospital but sadly succumbed to his injuries the following day, prompting officials to launch a murder investigation.
Raper was arrested on 25 June and charged with murder as well as the possession of a weapon during a violent crime, before cops then began rounding up the rest of the group.
Deputies from the Florence County Sheriff’s Office took Trey's girlfriend Kistenmacher away in cuffs and charged her with accessory before the fact of a felony.
Investigators claim that she 'knew that Raper was armed and that there would be a confrontation for violence, likely to lead to death, based on statements made in her presence'.
Sheriff TJ Joyce told WBTW News 13 that Trey and Raper 'had issues with each other' and explained these problems stemmed from a spat 'over a female'.
"The sad thing is, you got a 16-year-old that lost his life," he said. "You’ve got a 19-year-old who is going to be in jail the rest of his life. Over what?”
Raper currently remains behind bars without bond, while Kistenmacher was granted bond and released to home confinement.
Seven other teens have also been slapped with various charges for their alleged roles in the supposed 'murder plot'.
Hunter Matthew Kendall, 18, Sydney Marissa Kearns, 17, and Corrinne Elizabeth Belviso, 18, were also taken into custody and charged in wake of Trey's death.
The names of the four other suspects who have also been charged have not been released to the public as they are minors.
It is believed that a tenth teen who was also 'complicit in bringing the armed codefendant to the incident location' while knowing that a confrontation would ensue is also set to turn themselves in, News 13 reports.
Maj. Mike Nunn with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office said most of the arrest warrants for the teens who have been apprehended by authorities read the same.
He told reporters that investigators are combing through photo and video evidence to help piece together what happened on that fateful night in June.
"A lot of times the, people involved record the event, so that takes a lot of the guesswork out of it," Nunn said.
"Well, it’s kind of hard to deny what we see with our, with our eyes, and what’s posted on social media, audio, video, those types of things."
Discussing the weighty charges which have been levied against the nine teens, he added: "The decision was made, again with investigators, in consultation with the solicitor’s office to charge each of them with murder.
"The hand of one being the hand of all is part of South Carolina law as well, so that’s the basis of the charge for each of those individuals," Nunn said.
Trey's devastated mother Ashley Lindsey has vowed to get justice for her young son, who she described as 'one in a million'.
"My baby never deserved not one thing that happened to him, period," she told ABC News 15. "He was one in a million. He was good for people's souls. His happiness was so contagious.
"He always spread joy and he was one of the most kind-hearted kids you'd ever meet. I will fight for justice for my baby. If it takes every last breath in me."
Trey's close pals have launched a GoFundMe to help his family with funeral costs and other expenses. You can check it out here.
Topics: US News, Crime, True Crime
Olivia Burke