Rock Hill police detectives have arrested a 30-year-old man in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred last month in a residential area on the city’s south side, the Rock Hill Police Department confirmed Wednesday.
D’Aaron Colston faces charges of murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a person convicted of certain crimes in the death of a 33-year-old man found shot at a home on Flint Hill Street near South Heckle Boulevard on April 17, according to WCCB Charlotte.
Officers responding around 11 a.m. that Friday located the victim outside a residence suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Rock Hill Police Department’s statement about the incident.
Detectives worked the case for roughly five days before identifying Colston as the suspect. He was taken into custody on April 22, and a bond hearing was scheduled for the following day, according to WCCB Charlotte’s reporting on the arrest.
The murder charge carries a minimum 30-year sentence under South Carolina law if a conviction is obtained. The additional weapons charge adds potential prison time if prosecutors pursue it concurrently.
The Flint Hill Street area, located in a residential pocket of southwest Rock Hill off South Heckle Boulevard, saw a significant law enforcement presence following the shooting. Residents in the area told first responders they had heard gunfire before officers arrived.
Rock Hill Police have not released information on the relationship between Colston and the victim, describing the investigation as ongoing. The 16th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, which prosecutes criminal cases in York County, has not yet announced whether it will seek any special circumstances in the case.
The arrest is part of a series of homicide investigations Rock Hill police and the York County Sheriff’s Office have pursued in recent months. In January, York County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Ryan Chase Price, 20, of Lancaster, in connection with a fatal shooting at a house party on Old Friendship Road on January 17. Price faces murder, weapons, and minor-in-possession charges in that case and is held without bond at the York County Detention Center.
Rock Hill’s homicide clearance rate has drawn scrutiny from community members, though department officials have noted that detectives have made arrests in several high-profile cases this year. The York County Detention Center booking records show ongoing law enforcement activity across the city and county, including recent bookings for DUI, domestic violence, and other offenses on the night of May 11-12.
