Vernon Jenkins, 42, Altariq Cole, 39, and Dyshawn Hines, 42 — all from New Jersey — were all convicted last week by a Lexington County jury and sentenced to 30 years in prison for their roles in a shooting that took place at the Country Inn & Suites on Piney Grove Road in Columbia February 20, 2023.
The joint trial began April 7 and concluded April 11 after the jury deliberated for about three hours. The jury convicted Jenkins, Cole, and Hines of two counts of Attempted Murder.
Circuit Court Judge Diane S. Goodstein presided over the trial and imposed concurrent 30 year sentences on each of them. Attempted Murder is classified as a violent, most serious, and “no parole” offense.
On February 20, 2023, around 7:30 pm, the two victims in this case were sitting in a vehicle in the side parking lot of the Country Inn & Suites when they were blocked in by two other vehicles driven by the defendants and their group. A member of the group ordered the victims to exit their vehicle. Trial testimony indicated several individuals surrounded the victims’ car with firearms drawn. When the victims did not comply, gunfire erupted from both the sides and rear of the vehicle. Witnesses stated they saw four individuals surrounding the car, with at least two of them actively firing weapons.
Crime scene investigators later determined the victims’ vehicle had been struck about ten times, with bullet damage found on the driver’s side, passenger side, and rear of the vehicle. One victim sustained five gunshot wounds; the other was unharmed. Initially, investigators had limited leads until a passerby who witnessed the incident called 911 and reported the license plate of one of the vehicles fleeing the scene. This tip led law enforcement to the registered owner, who was interviewed and later charged. That interview, along with cell phone evidence, and Facebook records, ultimately led to the identification and arrest of Jenkins, Cole, and Hines.
Evidence presented at trial revealed Hines had been selling drugs on behalf of Jenkins the day before the shooting. Facebook messages indicated the group was attempting to locate a woman believed to have helped set up the robbery, which corroborated that Hines had been robbed of drugs, and suggested the plan to retaliate was formed.
Although all three defendants are originally from New Jersey, at the time of the incident Jenkins was living in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina; Cole in Greensboro, North Carolina; and Hines in South Carolina. An expert from the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team testified Jenkins and Cole met in Roanoke Rapids February 19, then traveled to Greensboro. Cell phone data and messages placed them arriving in Lexington County on the afternoon of the shooting in the Gaston area at an address provided to Jenkins by Hines. Records confirmed Jenkins and Cole were connected to cell towers near the Country Inn & Suites at the time of the shooting. Less than five hours later, the pair fled back to North Carolina.
Digital forensic evidence was presented through testimony from an expert who analyzed phones belonging to Cole and Hines. Cole’s phone contained messages where he attempted to sell one of the firearms used in the shooting, along with a photo of the weapon with its serial number visible. That gun was later recovered in Greensboro following an unrelated incident, and the firearm examination confirmed it matched a cartridge casing from the scene. Additional screenshots on Cole’s phone included information about the woman believed to have orchestrated the robbery.
On Hines’ phone, investigators found messages referencing the need to “lay low” in North Carolina after the shooting. He also took and shared a screenshot of a news article about the incident from The State. In a message referencing the article, Hines admitted his involvement, stating that someone had “got me for 10 birds and I found his ass.”
The jury also heard testimony from a cooperating co-defendant, who served as the driver of one of the vehicles used in the shooting. He identified all three defendants and described their plan to drive around the area searching for the individuals responsible for the robbery. The victims in this case were targeted simply because their car resembled the vehicle used in the drug robbery the day before. After the shooting, Jenkins admitted to the cooperating co-defendant they had shot at the wrong people. The jury also heard a recorded conversation in which Jenkins acknowledged his presence at the scene and confirmed the robbery involved his drugs.
All three were ultimately arrested in May of 2023. Cole was brought to South Carolina in June of 2023. Jenkins fought extradition, but was brought to South Carolina in August of 2023. Jenkins has a prior record in New Jersey and North Carolina that consists of property crimes, drugs, weapons, and assaults. Cole has a prior record from New Jersey that consists of assaults, a robbery, and drugs. Hines has a prior record from New Jersey that consists of an assault, property crime, and drugs. During Jenkins’ arrest, a gun was recovered during a search of his home in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. This gun was also confirmed to match multiple cartridge casings found at the crime scene.
Senior Assistant Solicitors Sutania A. Fuller and Robby McNair handled the prosecution of this case for the Eleventh Circuit Solicitor’s Office. The prosecutors said, “the lead investigator from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department did an exceptional job in handling and ultimately solving this case. Her dedication and determination were instrumental in ensuring justice was served for the two innocent victims of this senseless shooting.”
The prosecutors further said, “this case is a stark reminder of how drug dealing and the violence associated with it threaten entire communities. These men came to Lexington County to settle a score with bullets, and they harmed people who had nothing to do with the dispute. These convictions and sentences send a strong message that this conduct will not be tolerated in Lexington County.”
