How Halloween ended in horror

SUMTER — Seeing masked people outside, a Sumter man opened fire with an assault rifle through his closed front door, killing a 12-year-old boy who was trick-or-treating on Halloween.

The boy’s father and brother were wounded in the Friday night shooting.

Tony Darrisaw of Pulpit Street died of a gunshot wound to the head at Tuomey Regional Medical Center shortly after the 8:30 p.m. shooting, Sumter Police Chief Patty Patterson said.

He had been shot 13 times.

“He was a wonderful child,” said his mother, 33-year-old Daphne Grinnell, who tried administering first-aid while talking to a 911 dispatcher. “He was just having fun, running from house to house trick-or-treating.”

His brother, 9-year-old Ahmadre Darrisaw, was shot in the leg and the side, and his father, 31-year-old Freddie Grinnell Jr., was shot in the arm and grazed in the stomach, family members said. Both were released from the hospital early Saturday, Patterson said.

More than 29 shots were fired from an AK-47 through the door, walls and windows, police said. The rifle and a 9-millimeter handgun were found inside the home on S. Wise Drive.

Tony Darrisaw, known as “T.J.,” was with his father and two of his brothers trick-or-treating, while his mother and 2-year-old brother waited in a minivan.

Quentin L. Patrick, 22, of 215 S. Wise Drive, Sumter, is charged with murder and three counts of assault and battery with intent to kill, Patterson said.

Patrick has multiple convictions for possession with intent to distribute, is a felon and is prohibited from possessing a firearm, police said.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin McDonald said Saturday he will ask the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate. Patrick and his live-in girlfriend, 19-year-old Ericka Patrice Pee, are at Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center.

They were home with her 2-year-old daughter and tried to leave the house after the shootings, after grabbing $7,500 in bundled cash, police said. Pee is charged with obstruction of justice.

“Patrick admitted to law enforcement that he fired his AK-47 weapon, emptying the weapon,” Patterson said. “Patrick advised law enforcement that he had been shot before and would not be shot again.” He also feared being robbed, he told police.

Rumors were flying throughout Sumter about what might have led to the incident, but Patterson said there was no indication Patrick was in a gang or that he’d been in a fight earlier in the day.

Patrick did not attempt to aid the victims after walking outside, Patterson said. T.J.’s father, who also tried giving his son first aid, saw Patrick outside.

Patrick said, “Oh, man,” T.J.’s father recalled. “He didn’t even know who he shot.”

The family had attended the city’s Halloween on Main celebration, then went to the Sumter Mall, but did not get candy at either event.

T.J. and his older brother, 14-year-old Anthony Oxendine, were dressed as “dead” members of the JabbaWockeeZ, from MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew,” whose members wear white masks. The brothers had red backpacks to put candy in.

Ahmadre was dressed as the Grim Reaper and like his brothers, had a mask on.

Two-year-old Catrell Grinnell, who waited in the car with his mother, was dressed as a ninja. Their father did not dress up. They stopped at several houses and saw that Patrick’s house had the front porch light on so T.J. knocked on the door.

“We stood there for a second and fireworks went off,” his father said. “We thought someone was throwing fireworks so we backed off the porch.”

But it was gunshots. His mother got out of the minivan, headed toward the porch and saw T.J. falling back off of it, she said.

“Blood was everywhere,” she said. “He was breathing and his legs was moving and when I pulled his mask off he had a bullet hole over his eye.”

His mother was told by a 911 dispatcher to apply pressure to his head, but couldn’t stop the bleeding.

“I started freaking out because nothing was happening,” she said. She ran to the van and found Ahmadre was inside and had been shot in the leg. A woman gave her something to try and tie around her son’s leg.

T.J. was a member of New Beginnings Assembly of God church, and in the 7th grade at Bates Middle School, where he was on the drill team. He was looking forward to joining the wrestling program in the winter.

“He was a mama’s boy,” his mother said. “He liked to be in the kitchen with mama and cook and bake. He loved to cook cake and pies as long as he could lick the bowl.”