Crime
3 people found dead at Abberly Crossing Apartment in Ladson, suspect dies by suicide
North Charleston Police are conducting an investigation into two interconnected incidents in Ladson that tragically left four people dead on Wednesday evening.
The initial shooting was reported at approximately 4:41 p.m. at the Abberly Crossing Apartment complex, located in the 9600 block of Patriots Boulevard.
According to police spokesman Harve Jacobs, officers responded to reports of a suspect exiting a residence armed with an AR-style rifle.
Witnesses reported that the suspect physically assaulted one individual and fatally shot three others before fleeing the scene.
The suspect was described as wearing a helmet and body armor.
Upon entering the residence, officers discovered three victims who had succumbed to gunshot wounds. Their identities have not yet been released.
Witnesses at the scene provided police with a description of the suspect’s vehicle, enabling officers to track it to a second residence in the 4000 block of Briarstone Court.
As officers investigated the suspect’s vehicle at the second location, the suspect exited the residence holding a 5-year-old child.
Officers confronted the suspect at gunpoint, prompting him to place the child safely on the ground.
Moments later, the suspect turned the firearm on himself, sustaining fatal injuries.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
North Charleston Police Chief Ron Camacho confirmed that the suspect was related to the three victims found at the initial scene.
The North Charleston Police Department, in collaboration with the Dorchester County Coronerโs Office, continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding this tragic event.
Additional details, including the identities of the victims and suspect, will be released as the investigation progresses.
Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the North Charleston Police Department or Crime Stoppers.
Crime
Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis shot in the leg by an immigration agent in Minneapolis
On January 14, 2025, federal law enforcement personnel were engaged in a targeted enforcement operation involving Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national who has been present in the United States since 2022.
The operation escalated into a high-speed pursuit, a physical confrontation, and an ambush by multiple subjects, necessitating the use of a defensive firearm discharge by a federal agent.
At approximately 6:50 PM, federal officers initiated a targeted traffic stop of a vehicle operated by Sosa-Celis.
The subject refused to comply with law enforcement commands and attempted to flee the scene.
During the pursuit, the subjectโs vehicle collided with a stationary, parked car.
Following the collision, the subject abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene on foot.
A federal agent pursued the suspect on foot and successfully intercepted him. As the agent attempted to effect an arrest, the subject became combative, resulting in a violent struggle on the ground.
During this confrontation, two additional male subjects emerged from a nearby residence to intervene.
These individuals reportedly ambushed the agent, utilizing a snow shovel and a broom handle to strike the officer.
The situation escalated when the primary suspect, Sosa-Celis, regained his footing and joined the two additional subjects in the assault.
Reports indicate the suspect struck the agent with a blunt object (identified as either the shovel or broom handle).
Citing an immediate threat to his life while being outnumbered and actively assaulted by three individuals, the agent discharged his service weapon in self-defense.
The discharge struck Sosa-Celis in the lower extremity (leg). Following the shot, all three suspects retreated into a nearby apartment complex and initiated a barricade situation.
Following a brief standoff, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) successfully secured the perimeter and apprehended all three individuals without further injury.
Both the federal agent and Sosa-Celis were transported to a local medical facility for treatment.
Images from the scene showed Sosa-Celis conscious and alert during transport.
All three subjects involved in the assault are currently in the custody of ICE.
Further charges related to the assault on a federal officer and resisting arrest are pending review by the U.S. Attorneyโs Office.