Lancaster County, S.C. – Six individuals, including three juveniles, have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a Lancaster woman found dead in her car on Riverside Road late Friday night, May 2.
According to the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded just before midnight to the 3000 block of Riverside Road and discovered 40-year-old Larisha Sharell Thompson deceased in the driver’s seat of her 2021 Honda Accord. Thompson had left her nearby home earlier that evening en route to Rock Hill and was later reported missing by family members who eventually found her vehicle in the roadway.
An investigation led by the Lancaster County Multijurisdictional Violent Crime Task Force revealed that the shooting appeared to be the result of a random robbery attempt. Surveillance footage, digital evidence, and ballistics testing linked the same 9 mm handgun to both Thompson’s homicide and a prior attempted burglary at the Van Wyck Mart on Rock Hill Highway on April 30.
Authorities arrested Asael Aminadas Torres-Chirinos, 21, after a SWAT search of his home uncovered the pistol used in both incidents. Two other adults, Jarby Ardon Ramos-Odari, 18, and Jeyson Sobied Pineda-Salgado, 17, were also taken into custody. All three are charged with Murder, Attempted Armed Robbery, and Burglary Second Degree. Torres-Chirinos faces additional firearm charges, including Possession of a Firearm by an Unlawful Alien. All remain in the Lancaster County Detention Center without bond.
Three juveniles, ages 13 to 15, were also detained and charged with the same offenses. Due to their age, their names and photographs have not been released. They remain in a juvenile detention facility pending hearings.
Investigators say the suspects were traveling together in a white Honda Civic when they pulled alongside Thompson’s vehicle. Evidence indicates Torres-Chirinos fired into her vehicle, fatally striking her. Afterward, several of the suspects attempted to enter her locked vehicle before fleeing the scene.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued immigration detainers for all six suspects. Authorities confirmed all are subject to potential removal proceedings based on their immigration status, though they will remain in custody throughout the judicial process.
Sheriff Barry Faile emphasized the senseless nature of the crime and the swift, coordinated response by local and state agencies.
“This shooting defies any sense of decency in a civilized society,” said Faile. “There’s no place in our society for acts like this or the people who commit them.”
The investigation remains ongoing, but officials say no other suspects are being sought at this time.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.
(All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.)
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