Rock Hill man arrested in May shooting at apartment

Jeffrey Bernard Davis

ROCK HILL — Police arrested a suspect in a May apartment shooting in which a Rock Hill man was found with a gunshot wound to the stomach.

Jeffrey Bernard Davis, 40, of Rock Hill is charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault, according to a Rock Hill Police report. He is being held on a $50,000 bond.

On May 27, police went to Market Place Apartments on Heckle Boulevard after receiving complaints of gunshots shortly before 1 a.m. They found Marquis Shannon, 25, lying in the grass in front of an apartment.

Shannon, still conscious, told police he didn’t see the shooter. He was treated by an EMS unit.

Investigators learned that Shannon had been banned from coming to the complex, according to the report.

A witness told police she saw Shannon walking on the sidewalk between two apartments before he disappeared into an alleyway. She heard gun shots.

A criminal history check with the State Law Enforcement Division shows that Davis served prison sentences for burglary, assault and battery and weapons possession.

‘Outsiders’ responsible

On Tuesday afternoon, children flooded the playground and neighbors sat on porches at Market Place Apartments.

It’s a common sight months after Martha Bratton’s efforts to revitalize the area.

Last August, Market Place Apartments was a stop during Rock Hill’s National Night Out, a nationwide campaign by law enforcement and community members to increase crime prevention awareness in their neighborhoods.

It was the first time the apartment complex was included on the tour.

Bratton insisted then that the area was not “a project”

On Tuesday, she said much of the same, stating that “nine out of 10 times” the crime that takes place at the complex comes from “outsiders.”

That includes this recent shooting, which Bratton said involved two people who “don’t actually live here.”

“People are bringing their drama here,” she said. “It’s not Market Place Apartments residents.”

Recently, management has adopted a zero tolerance policy against gang and drug activity. Residents are standing up for themselves and the number of incidents has decreased, Bratton said.

Rock Hill Police crime statistics show that violent and property crimes at the apartment complex in 2011 dropped by almost half from 2010.

Jonathan McFadden 803-329-4082