Sumter, S.C. – A Black man was arrested for the apparent shooting of an innocent White woman while he fired rounds into her home from a neighboring backyard property. Despite being asked to stop shooting, the Black man allegedly continued firing. As a result, the woman was shot in the back, left paralyzed, and in critical condition. Her fiance is unsure if she will ever be able to walk again.

When Chasity Miles woke up on August 30th, she was looking forward to celebrating her wedding just a few weeks later. She’s a devoted mother, a loving fiance, and a dedicated medical professional working at a busy regional hospital. Life was good, and while she may have been many things, she never imagined that by the end of the night, she could add yet another title to her growing list of accomplishments:

Gunshot victim.

20-year-old Kameron Rashad Tyrell Wolfe, a Black man who was allegedly firing off rounds at an adjacent neighboring property on South Saint Paul Church Road in Sumter, was shooting at an unsafe range and direction, which placed Chasity’s home in the crossfire. She had just finished politely asking the man to cease firing, as the direction of his shooting was too close to their home, and his wanton disregard for safety put her and her 6-year-old son, Boone, at risk.

Despite being asked to stop, Wolfe ignored her pleas. Once she had departed his property, Wolfe allegedly continued to fire the weapon into her home in the same unsafe direction. He fired again, and again until, finally, a stray bullet ripped through Chasity’s lower back not long after she stepped out of her car. The shot was enough to send the woman to the ground, paralyzed from the waist down.

“She just said I am hit. I am paralyzed,” said Ernie Seruya, Chasity Miles’ fiancé, in an interview with WIS News 10. “I sat there and held my hand on her until EMTs got there and the police department.”

Sheriff’s deputies and EMS quickly responded, where they found Chasity in the yard. Even after suffering from the grievous wound, Chasity never gave up, instead using her previous experience as an emergency room nurse to direct EMS and assist them with her near-fatal incident.

“She is such a strong person. She was telling the EMTs what to do, with all of her nursing training. She knew exactly what was going on and was giving them directions on what to do. If I would have been in her place, there’s no way I could have kept it together, but she did.”

Ernie Seruya, fiance

Since being admitted into the hospital, Chasity has had to undergo many exhaustive medical procedures just to stay alive. As of September 6th, she was rushed into emergency surgery due to a bout of septic shock. Medical professionals then worked on healing parts of her liver, lung, and diaphragm, which were all heavily damaged from the gunshot.

By the 12th, she was experiencing spiking temperatures of 103.6 degrees Fahrenheit and had to have her gallbladder removed completely. A GoFundMe has been set up to help Chasity pay the increasingly hefty medical bills brought about by her tragic victimization. Because of the advanced and rather expensive medical equipment required for her to live a normal life post-paralysis, the goal has been set at $200,000. Physical therapy, aid devices, and traveling needs add to the growing list of expenses.

“They has [sic] done a septic protocol to see where this is coming from. As of right now it is a waiting game. She came out of surgery amazingly!”

Mr. Seruya via Chasity’s GoFundMe page

On the other hand, Wolfe was swiftly arrested at the scene and charged with two counts of attempted murder, discharging a firearm at/or into a dwelling, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime by police officials. Additionally, during the execution of a search warrant, they confiscated the rifle allegedly used to shoot Chasity Miles in the back. He now sits in custody at the Sumter County Detention Center after attending a bond hearing on September 1st. The amount, or status of Wolfe’s bond, is currently unknown.

During a press statement, Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis admitted that his jurisdiction is witnessing an uptick in unsafe firearm use on private properties. “Discharging firearms in the County is generally lawful, but state law prohibits the discharge of a firearm at or into a dwelling house, other building, structure, or enclosure regularly occupied by persons.” He said.

But why the increase in violent gunplay? Sumter, South Carolina, has often been considered one of America’s deadliest metro areas to live in. According to the FBI, 1,140 violent crimes were reported in the area in 2020. While violent crime has skyrocketed across the nation since the George Floyd summer of racial reckoning, the increase in Sumter is a dismal five times the national increase.

The actual cause of these sporadic crime waves in Sumter, South Carolina, should be no secret to anyone paying attention. According to the 2020 U.S Census report, demographically, Sumter is a whopping 48.32% Black and only 40% White. Historically, the city once stood as a mighty industrial powerhouse in America’s Southland, which for a time, boomed during the Second World War with its focus on textiles and manufacturing. Now, however, it’s better known for its frequent violent crime waves, where your chance of becoming victimized in a violent crime is a stunning 1 in 89.

If convicted, Kameron Wolfe will contribute to the swelling ranks of Black Americans who engaged in violent shootings against completely innocent people. On June 27th, Melville Williams—who is Black—was arrested and charged with murder after allegedly shooting two Subway restaurant employees over the amount of mayonnaise on his sandwich, killing one and critically injuring another. On April 1st, Joshua Fleetwood—also Black—was arrested for the apparent shooting and killing of a woman in the parking lot of a bowling alley. Police claim the argument began over a bowling ball.

Please forward any tips or leads regarding the shooting of Chasity Miles or any other incident of violent black crime to [email protected]