A Cheraw police cruiser was struck by gunfire while officers responded to an unrelated call at the Graystone Apartments on Agerton Street, and two suspects are now in custody as investigators search for others who may have been involved. No officers or anyone else was reported injured in the shooting.
Interim Cheraw Police Chief James Henderson said officers were responding to a separate call for service at the Graystone Apartments on Agerton Street when shots were fired and a patrol car was struck, according to WPDE. The station reports that two suspects have been taken into custody, though Cheraw police are still looking for additional suspects who may have been involved. Charges remain pending as the investigation continues, and the station notes additional information will be released as the investigation develops.
The Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office assisted Cheraw police with the investigation, the outlet's report notes. It remains unclear whether the cruiser was deliberately targeted or caught in crossfire connected to whatever call originally drew officers to the apartment complex — a question that has not yet been publicly resolved.
A Neighborhood Already Under the Microscope
The shooting unfolded in a part of Cheraw that town officials have spent years trying to stabilize. Agerton Street was designated a primary focus of the town's Community Development Block Grant neighborhood revitalization effort, which secured $500,000 in state grant funds along with $100,000 in local matching money to upgrade infrastructure and public safety, according to the Town of Cheraw. The first phase of that work included street paving, while later phases targeted dilapidated housing and stormwater improvements.
Cheraw's police department has also leaned on technology in the same corridor. The department previously won a Municipal Achievement Award from the Municipal Association of South Carolina for building a town-wide security camera network meant to deter violent crime and assist investigators, with the system first installed in 2020 and expanded since. Whether any of those cameras captured Wednesday night's gunfire has not been confirmed.
Leadership Transition Inside the Department
Henderson has been leading the department in an interim capacity since March, when he was appointed after former interim chief Julius Riley stepped down, according to a Facebook account describing the leadership change. That means the shooting investigation is unfolding while Cheraw officials are still working through a search for a permanent chief.
South Carolina law enforcement protocol typically brings the State Law Enforcement Division's Crime Scene Unit into major firearms discharges and officer-involved incidents, as seen in past Chesterfield County cases reported by WCNC. It has not been confirmed whether SLED has opened a supporting forensic file in this case.
Potential Charges Carry Steep Penalties
If suspects are ultimately charged with firing into the occupied patrol car, South Carolina law treats the offense seriously. Under S.C. Code § 16-23-440, discharging a firearm at or into an occupied vehicle is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000. A state legislative enactment this past May under S.C. Code § 16-1-60 also classifies shooting into occupied vehicles or structures as a violent crime, a designation that can affect bond conditions and how much of any eventual sentence must be served.
The incident adds to a string of gun violence that has touched Cheraw in recent months. In May, a shooting on Cheraw Road turned fatal, killing 20-year-old Landon Scott Sellers and leading to murder charges against three local teenagers. In February 2025, a 19-year-old man was killed in a drive-by shooting outside a Cheraw home where state crime scene technicians recovered 24 spent bullet casings, per WCNC's earlier reporting.
Community Context
Cheraw is the largest municipality in Chesterfield County, home to roughly 4,960 residents, according to 2024 U.S. Census Bureau estimates cited by Census Reporter. The same data shows 37% of the population living below the federal poverty line and 54.5% identifying as Black, socio-economic context that frames the pressures facing the Agerton Street neighborhood even as revitalization funding has flowed into the area.
No further details on the identities of the two suspects in custody, the outstanding suspects being sought, or the motive behind the gunfire had been released as of the initial report. Police said charges are pending and that more information would be released as the investigation develops.
