Coroner identifies Hardeeville man, woman shot to death in double homicide Tuesday
The Jasper County Coroner’s Office has named the two Hardeeville residents who were shot to death near an apartment complex in southeastern city limits Tuesday afternoon.
Alesia Dykes, 40, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after gunfire rang out around 12:35 p.m. Tuesday. Bernard Lyles, 38, was rushed to Coastal Carolina Hospital but later succumbed to his multiple gunshot wounds. Their autopsies would be performed Thursday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, according to Coroner Willie P. Aiken.
The double homicide occurred at the Walsh Drive Apartments, a public housing complex located off S.C. 46 (Main Street). A multi-hour manhunt for the suspected shooter led police to Ridgeland, about 15 miles away, where they arrested 49-year-old Charles Saunders, a resident of New York City.
Hardeeville Chief of Police Sam Woodward said Saunders and the two victims were involved in an altercation in the apartments’ parking lot before he followed them inside, where the suspect opened fire. Investigators know Saunders has relatives from Jasper County but are not sure if he also lives in the area. He has not been compliant with law enforcement’s questions, Woodward said.
At the request of Hardeeville police, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division will assist in the investigation.
While Tuesday’s incident marked the first fatal shooting in Jasper County since January, double homicides are not uncommon in the area. SLED arrested three suspects in the months following the Dec. 17 killing of twin brothers at the Sports Baba Bar, a now-closed establishment off S.C. 170 in the Riverwalk Business Park.
