South Carolina Man Sentenced to 25 Years Following Voluntary Manslaughter Plea in 2019 Fatal Shooting

Shyheem Ingram has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 2019 shooting death of 18-year-old Sedrick Covington in Chesterfield County.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 20, 2026, 4:40 PM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from WMBF

Judicial Conclusion to Multi Year Homicide Investigation

A lengthy legal process has concluded in Bennettsville with the sentencing of a man responsible for a fatal shooting that occurred nearly seven years ago. Shyheem Ingram appeared in court to enter a guilty plea to the charge of voluntary manslaughter, a move that resolved the pending criminal litigation against him. Following the plea, a judge sentenced Ingram to 25 years in state prison, marking the final chapter in a case that has remained under investigation since 2019. The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office handled the prosecution, emphasizing the gravity of the violent encounter that claimed a young life in the Pee Dee region.

Emergency Response to Smithville Church Road Crime Scene

The origins of the case trace back to the night of October 14, 2019, when Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to a high priority call. At approximately 9:59 p.m., units arrived at a location on Smithville Church Road in the Cheraw area following reports of gunfire. Upon securing the scene, law enforcement discovered a male victim positioned in the driver’s seat of a vehicle. Initial medical assessments confirmed that the individual had sustained at least one significant gunshot wound, and emergency efforts were unable to revive him at the site of the encounter.

Identification of the Victim and Circumstances of the Dispute

Chesterfield County Coroner Kip Kiser eventually identified the deceased as 18 year old Sedrick Covington, a resident of Bennettsville. Investigators working the case in the months following the incident determined that the violence was not a random act but rather the result of a direct confrontation. Evidence gathered by the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office suggested that a verbal argument between Ingram and Covington escalated rapidly, culminating in the discharge of a firearm. The transition from a dispute to a fatal shooting became the central focus of the state’s criminal inquiry and the subsequent manslaughter charges.