Proudly Serving the Citizens of Beaufort County, South Carolina

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Proudly Serving the Citizens of Beaufort County, South Carolina

For emergencies, call 9-1-1

Dionte Mitchell, wanted for December 2021 Seabrook murders, arrested in New York

Dionte Mitchell photoOn the morning of Wednesday, June 8, 2022, Dionte Mitchell, who was wanted for the Dec. 4, 2021, Seabrook murders of Flora Mae Gantt and Shaina Mulligan, was arrested in Queens, New York by the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

 

 

Case History 

On Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021 at approximately 11:00 p.m. Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of shots fired on Detour Road in Seabrook.

Upon arrival, deputies secured the scene and learned that two women were shot following a dispute at a party.

One of the women, 74-year-old Flora Mae Gantt of Walterboro, was pronounced dead at the scene, the other, 30-year old Shaina Mulligan of Beaufort, died en route to the hospital.

Investigation

Witnesses were interviewed and the scene was processed for forensic evidence.

In the interviews, it was learned that one of the parties involved in the shooting, 22-year-old Dionte Mitchell of Seabrook, had left the scene.

Contact was later made with Mitchell, who met with Sheriff’s Office investigators to provide his account of the shooting. Mitchell was not immediately charged.

In the ensuing weeks, to obtain more information on what took place during the shooting, investigators located and interviewed numerous witnesses and evaluated evidence collected at the scene.

Obtaining of Arrest Warrants

On Tuesday, Dec. 28, investigators met with a Beaufort County magistrate and presented the facts of the case. After reviewing the investigation, and based on probable cause, the magistrate issued warrants for the arrest Mitchell for two counts of Murder and one count of Possession of a Weapon during the commission of a Violent Crime for the Dec. 4 Seabrook shooting deaths of Flora Mae Gantt and Shaina Mulligan.

Dionte Mitchell Arrested

As it was believed that Mitchell left the state following the murders, Sheriff’s Office investigators enlisted the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service to locate him.

On Wednesday, June 8, 2022, U.S. Marshals arrested Mitchell in Queens, New York.  Mitchell is in custody and will face extradition to Beaufort County for the two murders.

We would like to thank the U.S. Marshals Service for apprehending Dionte Mitchell.