Ivy Tyrone Richardson, Jr., a 54-year-old Gaston man, has been sentenced to twenty (20) years in prison following his conviction on charges of two (2) counts of Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature and Discharging a Firearm into an Occupied Vehicle. Circuit Court Judge William P. Keesley imposed the sentence after a recent four (4) day jury trial in Lexington County.

This case was prosecuted by 11th Circuit Assistant Solicitors Whitney Taylor, Bruce Norton, and Christy Oler. This case was investigated by the Lexington County Sheriffs Department.

On August 22, 2023, deputies with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department responded to a 911 call of a shooting near Gardners Terrace Road. Deputies responded to the call and discovered several victims, one of whom was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the front yard of a residence off Lorick Village Road. The victims identified the shooter as a man they knew as “Tyrone”, and Deputies quickly located Richardson in the woods behind the property. Richardson then directed Deputies to an AR-15 style rifle in the woods nearby, still loaded and in firing position.

Following their investigation into the shooting, Deputies determined that the Defendant was engaged in an ongoing property dispute with the victims. At the time of the shooting, Richardson was prohibited from being on the property. Utilizing electronic tracking technology, law enforcement determined that the Defendant was located on the property in a wooded area near the front yard waiting for the victims to return to the property. Once they returned, Richardson opened fire on their vehicle in the front yard of the residence. Crime scene investigators (CSI) recovered approximately fifteen (15) shell casings from the scene and a similar number of projectile defects were documented in the cab of the victim’s truck.

Richardson has prior convictions for Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature, Resisting Arrest, Assault on a Police Officer, and Domestic Violence of a High and Aggravated Nature.

Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature is a Violent and Serious Offense and Richardson will not be eligible for parole. Richardson has been transported to the South Carolina Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.