KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — A Kershaw man accused of attempted murder for his role in a 2023 Camden nightclub shooting has pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office said Thursday.
Davon Jermaine Mickle, 40, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Nightclub shooting details
The Camden Police Department initially responded to reports of a shooting near a nightclub on East DeKalb Street on Aug. 19, 2023.
Three victims allegedly said they saw Mickle walking in the parking lot with an AR‑style rifle before placing it in the car, then got into an argument with him before leaving. According to the victims, Mickle later grabbed the rifle and shot at their vehicle almost two dozen times as they were leaving.
Officers found 23 cartridges in the road and a bullet hole in the victims’ car bumper. After the victims identified Mickle as the shooter, investigators linked him to an outstanding arrest warrant.
Arrest and evidence
Deputies with the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office allegedly found Mickle sitting in the driver’s seat of a car at his home, with an AR‑style rifle on the passenger seat. Law enforcement detained Mickle and seized the firearm.
Surveillance footage allegedly showed the shooter wearing the same shoes, shorts, and boxers as Mickle. Investigators said the gun in Mickle’s car when he was detained was not the one used in the shooting, but a gun residue test reportedly showed he had recently fired a weapon.
He is barred from possessing firearms after prior convictions on multiple drug charges involving cocaine and crack cocaine.
Charges and potential sentence
Mickle has also been charged with three counts of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in relation to the 2023 shooting.
He faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life in federal prison, as well as a fine of up to $250,000, possible restitution, and five years of supervised release after any prison term.
District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr. will sentence Mickle after reviewing a sentencing report from the U.S. Probation Office. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office, and the Camden Police Department.
