MOORESVILLE, N.C. – A nationwide manhunt that spanned more than 18 months has come to an end with the arrest of a fugitive wanted for a 2024 murder in Chester County, South Carolina.
Carlton Wallace Dixon, 45, was taken into custody on Saturday, January 17, 2026, in Mooresville, North Carolina. The arrest marks the conclusion of an exhaustive search that began shortly after a fatal shooting in June 2024.
According to the Chester County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred on June 17, 2024, at the Ramsey Grove Apartments on Flint Street. Deputies responding to the scene discovered a male victim who had sustained fatal gunshot wounds and was pronounced deceased on the scene. The victim was later identified by local media as 29-year-old Elijahwan D. Boulware.
Following the shooting, investigators identified Dixon as the primary suspect. However, Dixon fled the scene, prompting a large-scale investigation that eventually involved state and federal agencies, including the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the FBI. Authorities had considered Dixon “armed and dangerous” and had offered rewards, reportedly up to $15,000, for information leading to his capture.
The breakthrough in the case came this weekend when the Chester County Sheriff’s Office, working in conjunction with the Mooresville Police Department, located Dixon in North Carolina.
“Following the shooting incident, Dixon fled the scene and has been the subject of an exhaustive nation-wide search since the date of the murder,” the Chester County Sheriff’s Office stated in a release. “With the assistance of the Mooresville Police Department NC, Dixon was located this afternoon and taken into custody.”
Dixon now faces a slate of serious charges in South Carolina, including:
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Murder
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Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime
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Possession of a Firearm or Ammunition by a Person Convicted of Certain Crimes
Authorities are currently working to extradite Dixon from North Carolina back to Chester County, where he will face trial for the alleged crimes.
“Our Office is actively working through the extradition process with the State of North Carolina to return Dixon to Chester County, South Carolina as quickly as possible,” the Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
The arrest brings a measure of closure to a case that had remained open for over a year and a half, as the community and law enforcement awaited the apprehension of the alleged shooter.
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