Left: Damarion Nealy (15th Judicial Solicitor's Office). Right: Gregory Johnson II (Ocean View Funeral Home).
A South Carolina teenager is headed to prison for killing his uncle while pointing a gun at his head after the uncle reportedly asked his nephew if he wanted to "take a shot."
Damarion Nealy, 18, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the 2025 shooting death of his 20-year-old uncle Gregory Johnson II, in Horry County, according to the 15th Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office. A judge sentenced Nealy, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, under the youthful offender act and he will serve no more than five years behind bars.
Prosecutors said Nealy was in Johnson's car when the uncle was firing a pistol at deer in the woods. Johnson handed the gun over to his nephew and asked if he wanted to "take a shot." As Nealy was only 17, it was illegal for him to hold the gun.
Nealy pointed the gun at Johnson's head with "his finger on the trigger with enough pressure to discharge the weapon," according to prosecutors. The shot hit Johnson in the head. Nealy then fled the scene and Johnson died a short time later.
Nealy later admitted that he was holding the gun and it "went off."
"The fact and the evidence of the case showed involuntary manslaughter was the appropriate charge in these circumstances," James D. Stanko, a violent crimes assistant solicitor, said in a statement. "We feel this was a fair resolution to these tragic events."
According to his obituary, Johnson had recently started a landscaping business with his father.
"Gregory's entrepreneurial spirit convinced his dad to help him develop a landscaping business so that he could supplement his income. Gregory talked about doing other projects around the house like rebuilding Grandma's old barn, renovating the shed, and adding to his house."
Comments