Intersection to be named in honor of teen killed at Fort Mill's Peach Stand

FORT MILL, S.C. — A beloved teenager shot and killed while working at Fort Mill's popular Peach Stand will have the intersection in front of the store named in her honor.

The South Carolina Senate voted on Tuesday to approve naming Highway 160 at Highway 21 “Karson Bailey Whitesell Memorial Intersection.”

(Karson Whitesell)

State representative Raye Felder pushed for the memorial because despite the Peach Stand closing on the anniversary of Whitesell's death, it still remains a gathering place, but the sense of safety was lost.

"We can't ever forget that tragic day. The Peach Stand is the front porch of Fort Mill, a place we always felt we were safe," Felder said. "She was a brilliant young lady wtih a future ahead of her."

The move received the backing of all local lawmakers.

Past coverage:

• Parents of Peach Stand shooting victim: 'Karson was my whole world'
• 'I miss you more than words': Mother reflects 1 year after daughter killed at Peach Stand
• 'I wish I hadn't done what I did': Peach Stand killer pleads guilty; avoids death penalty
• Family, friends, community say final goodbyes to slain Peach Stand clerk
• PHOTOS: Peach Stand shooting scene
• Funeral set for beloved Peach Stand employee
• Investigators searching for answers in shooting of Peach Stand employee
• Man charged in murder of 19-year-old Peach Stand employee

Chris Mendez murdered Whitesell while she worked at the Peach Stand in January 2018. Mendez claimed he shot her because of how she looked at him.

He was sentenced to life in prison.

"A day doesn't go by where I don't think about her and miss her terribly," her mother Debbie Harrison said. I think about things we used to do together, fun things. In the 15 months since she was killed, all I've wanted is for people not to forget her."

Whitesell was 19 years old when she was killed, and family and friends said she had a huge heart for service and world missions.

"She always had a good attitude when she came in. People loved her and when she would talk about her trips to Africa, she would just beam," co-worker Rebeka Faile said. "I think it's awesome that they're doing something in memory of her."

The South Carolina Department of Transportation will place signs at the intersection.

"If they see a sign with her name on it every time they pass going up and down the road, that does my mama heart good," Harrison said.

State lawmakers said they are going to meet with Whitesell's parents to decide when to honor her.

Cox Media Group