Teen, her brother charged with murder after tow truck driver was killed, SC sheriff says

A second person was arrested following the recent shooting death of a tow truck driver, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

Essence Jackson, 19, was charged with murder Monday, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.

Her brother, 20-year-old Raheem Jackson, was also charged with murder when he was arrested June 12, according to the release.

That’s the same day that 46-year-old Lexington resident Steven Hughes was killed in an early morning shooting, the Richland County Coroner’s Office said.

The shooting happened in the 7200 block of Fairmont Road, the sheriff’s department said. That’s in Columbia, near the intersection with Leesburg Road, not far from Exit 9 on Interstate 77.

The shooting was as a result of a towing company repossessing a vehicle, according to the release.

No other injuries were reported.

Raheem Jackson was also charged with possession of a firearm during a violent crime, the sheriff’s department said.

Members of the sheriff’s department attempted to serve a search warrant and arrest warrant at Essence Jackson’s residence on Monday morning, but she was not home, according to the release. She was located at a secondary location a short time later and was taken into custody without further incident, the sheriff’s department said.

No bond has been set for either Essence or Raheem Jackson, and both are being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, jail records show.

Despite the arrests, the sheriff’s department is continuing to investigate the shooting.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC, or submit tips online.