Man accused of killing pregnant woman, injuring 5 others in Rock Hill

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Deputies in York County said a man accused of shooting a woman to death and injuring five other people in Rock Hill was taken into custody after a chase in Charlotte on Tuesday afternoon.

Sheriff's Office spokesperson Trent Faris told Channel 9 that deputies responded to a shooting call before 11 a.m. to a home on Leach Road, just outside Rock Hill. A woman, 20-year-old Shanijela Williams, was found dead at that location, according to Faris.

According to a police report from a different incident three weeks ago, Williams was pregnant.

Faris said four other people at the house were also injured and taken to Piedmont Medical Center.

According to Faris, Bethany Farrar was shot and listed in stable condition.

Herman Leach was shot and also hit with a hammer, but was treated and released.

Faris said Shane Shillinglaw and Sheila Rushing were also struck with a hammer but would be OK.

[ALSO READ: Man holding 1-year-old daughter hit by bullet when shots fired outside Rock Hill home]

Officials said the suspect, 35-year-old Marques Heath, was seen speeding away from the home in a late model Chevy Caprice.

(Heath)

A short time later, Heath showed up at a home on Farlow Street, just a few minutes away from the first shooting scene, according to Faris, where he shot another woman, Laquata Wilson. Faris said Wilson was taken to Piedmont Medical Center before being flown to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte in critical condition.

"We just heard the gunshot, then all the ambulances and the police, and we seen the police out in the front yard," neighbor Belinda Howard said.

Another neighbor saw a man run from the home moments later.

"I watched the dude jump the fence and came around the one house and jumped our fence," neighbor Elaine Kennington said.

Deputies said that man was caught on Cherry Road. They said he was inside the house at the time of the shooting but was not the suspect.

Faris said the victims knew Heath and that the shootings were not random. No motive has been released though.

Northwestern High School, Rawlinson Road Middle, Applied Technology Center, York Road Elementary, Cherry Park Elementary, Sullivan Middle, Rosewood Elementary and Richmond Drive Elementary were all placed on lockdown as a precaution because of Tuesday's active suspect search.

Investigators said Heath was taken into custody by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department after a short chase on South Boulevard at Old Pineville Road.

In September, Rock Hill police chased Heath too, charging him with having an M-16 rifle, fentanyl pills, crack and several pistols in his truck.

Heath was arrested again last month on a domestic violence charge, which deputies said happened at the same home on Leach Road where the two women were shot Tuesday.

Williams apparently told deputies just weeks ago that Heath had beaten her. She said she was staying at a battered women's shelter, but left and came home because he had threatened her family if she didn't come back.

Heath faced a judge in Charlotte on Wednesday, where he waved extradition. He was brought back to York County to face the charges there.

Check back with wsoctv.com for updates on this story.

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