Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office recognizes crime victims’ loved ones

The vigil was held in the lobby of the Sheriff’s Office building due to the cold weather. The room was tightly packed with dozens of surviving loved ones of victims as well as law enforcement personnel.

Several family members shared their stories of losing loved ones to gun violence and how it continues to affect them.

“Many nights I can’t sleep,” Jackie Pearce said. “I close my eyes and all I can see is my child laying on the ground.”

Pearce’s son Quentin Pearce, 34, was killed in a shooting on March 23, 2023.

Courtney Hunter’s 6-year-old Winston O’Conner Hunter died on May 13, 2022, following a drive-by shooting at his home on McClain Street in Woodford.

“I just take this thing one day at a time, and when those days get longer, I take it one hour at a time,” Hunter said. “When those hours get longer, I take it one minute at a time.”

“What keeps me going is definitely the question ‘What would Winston do?’ That’s what I do every day,” she said.

Many of the family members who spoke thanked the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office for its support.

Hunter said Sheriff Leroy Ravenell and his staff visited her personally after an arrest was made in her son’s case to tell her the news.

“I thank God for each and every one of them,” she said. “Trust me, they’ve been with me every step of the way. They supported me emotionally, spiritually.”

Pearce thanked Ravenell for never leaving her side.

“You may try to get away, but Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Department – they’ve got you,” Pearce said. “Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Department, y’all are doing a great job. Keep doing what you’re doing. Get this violence off the streets.”

Representatives from the sheriff’s office also spoke at the vigil.

Ravenell thanked the families for attending the ceremony and for their strength and patience while working with law enforcement.

“One of the things that I strive for here at the sheriff’s office is not letting families be victimized twice,” Ravenell said. “Victimized by some – whatever you want to call them – out there and then victimized again by the system. We try our best to keep that from happening.”

Chief Deputy Chandra Gibbs said the agency and families have been “bonded together for the rest of our lives” at “tremendous cost.”

“One of the things that’s not lost on me in this moment is the fact that this room and this space is filled,” Gibbs said.

Gibbs said many of the families of victims still have questions and the agency is committed to maintaining relationships with them. She also commended the Sheriff’s Office’s Victim Services Division, which she called one of the best in the country.

“This night may not fix anything necessarily for you, nor will it bring anybody back, but we do hope that it captures your heart and you know that you’re not in this by yourselves, that you are loved, you are cared for and that you and your family member is remembered,” she said.

Along with remarks from relatives of victims and law enforcement officials, the ceremony featured prayer and words from the reverends Jerry French and Hayes Gainey.

Soloist Miriam Johnson also sang at the event, performing a medley of “Jesus Is the Answer (For the World Today)” and “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” leading those in attendance together in a final refrain of “Jesus Is the Answer.”

Relatives of victims were given electric candles to hold while the lights in the building lobby were turned off. A moment of silence was held with the only light in the room coming from the candles and a Christmas tree in the corner of the room.

The ceremony ended with remarks and a prayer from Gainey.