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South Carolina Man Charged In Death Of Daughter He Allegedly Mistook For Intruder
Jermaine Pressley heard someone trying to enter his home and opened fire through the door, killing his daughter Nadeja Jermainequa Pressley, authorities say.
Authorities in South Carolina have charged a man with killing his daughter, whom he mistook for a potential intruder.
The Greenville County Sheriff's Office says 43-year-old Jermaine Pressley faces charges of murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and three counts of felon in possession of a firearm, in addition to drug charges.
Meanwhile, warrants showed that Pressley was convicted in 2004 of trafficking heroin, according to local NBC affiliate WYFF.
Sheriff's Office Lt. Jimmy Bolt said in a statement that Pressley heard someone trying to enter his home, so he shot through a door.
It appears that Pressley did not realize that the person at his door was his daughter, however.
“We have found that he did intend to shoot whomever was at the door,” Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Ryan Flood told Greenville News. “It looks as if he didn’t realize it was his daughter, but the fact he did intend to shoot whoever was at the door substantiates probable cause for the murder charge.”
Deputies said officers responding to the shooting early Sunday found heroin and cocaine in Pressley's Greenville home.
The coroner's office says the gunfire fatally wounded 23-year-old Nadeja Jermainequa Pressley.
Neighbor Regina Harvey described what she heard Sunday morning.
"I just heard two gunshots," Harvey told WYFF. "And went out on the porch and I seen police everywhere, everywhere. That's just a sad feeling."
Pressley is being held in the Greenville County Detention Center. It's not immediately clear if he has a lawyer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
