‘He’s suffering’: Mom demands justice after 8-year-old hospitalized in drive-by shooting

PAGELAND, S.C. — A mother is asking investigators to find whoever shot her 8-year-old son during a drive-by shooting last Tuesday in Chesterfield County.

The shooting happened around 10 p.m. on Blairlock Street, which is off S. Arant Street in Pageland.

Meka Mungo said her son, 8-year-old Kawhi McManus, is a second-grader who likes playing video games on his iPad. She said he was going to get that iPad last Tuesday night when dozens of shots were fired outside his grandmother’s home.

The boy’s aunt, Jerrica McManus, said she yelled at him to get down on the floor, but he got scared and stood up to run toward her.

“I looked back at Kawhi and I said, ‘Kawhi, are you sure you’re not hit? Sure you’re not hit?’ And he just looked at me like, ‘I don’t know,’” she said.

They later realized a bullet had hit the boy in the stomach.

“We couldn’t do anything but yell for help because we didn’t know if they were reloading or if they were coming into the house,” Jerrica McManus said.

Kawhi was flown to Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte where he has undergone multiple surgeries.

Chesterfield County deputies said they found 30 to 40 shell casings in the street -- some came from a 9mm handgun, others were .223 rounds from an assault rifle.

At the time of the shooting, six people were in the house, including three other younger children. No one else was injured.

The house has several bullet holes in it, along with a car parked outside that belongs to Jerrica McManus. The driver’s side window was also shot out.

There was a small black sedan reported leaving the scene, but other than that, deputies said they have little information to go on.

Capt. Wayne Jordan told Channel 9 they believe the same suspects shot up two other houses that night and possibly a third inside the town limits of Pageland. Authorities need someone to come forward with more information.

“We continuously ask for the community’s help. The community’s gotta help us, in some way, shape or form,” Jordan said.

Mungo said she spends every day at the hospital with her son. She’s frustrated and wants answers.

“He’s suffering and in a lot of pain, and it shouldn’t be like that,” Mungo said.

She said she wants to see more action on the part of investigators.

“My son coulda been gone,” she said. “I mean, try harder. They’re not trying hard enough.”

Deputies said they are increasing patrols in that area south of Pageland and being more visible at night. The area has seen several shootings, Jordan said.

They’re also still running down leads and expected to have deputies working on some new information on Monday.

Anyone with any information about the shooting is asked to call the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office. You can leave an anonymous tip.

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