Four charged in gang-related Bennettsville shooting

Four gang members have been arrested in connection with the Feb. 9 shooting of a 20-year-old man, Bennettsville Police Investigator Larry Bowman said.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday and charged with assault and battery with intent to kill, criminal conspiracy and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, Bowman said.

A 16-year-old arrested Friday faces the same charges and likely will be tried as an adult, Bowman said.

Mario Ray, 20, of Bennettsville and Hakeem Revels, 18, of Laurel Hill, N.C., were arrested soon after the incident and charged with assault and battery with intent to kill, Bowman said. 

All the suspects are alleged members of the street gang, the Bloods.

The incident happened at 9:15 p.m. at the Garden Apartments in Bennettsville. The victim was leaving a residence when someone shot him in the back.

The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment and released.

The shooting is thought to have been in retaliation from an earlier incident involving the suspects and the victim, Bowman said. The victim injured one of the suspects during an earlier altercation, he said.

Bowman also said the case couldn’t have been solved without the department’s gang investigator Shawn Lucas and the anonymous tips received from the community.