SC man accused of 2 Chester killings in March caught in Texas, officials say
A suspect charged with murder in two South Carolina shooting deaths in March was captured late Wednesday in Texas, officials said.
Vangereil Dretreckes Miller, 30, was captured in Fort Worth, Texas, by federal agents and Texas local and state police, said Grant Suskin, spokesman for the Chester County Sheriff’s Office.
Miller had been sought by South Carolina police and the Federal Bureau of Investigations since shortly after the shootings on March 7. Kevin Feaster, 30, and Shonta Neely, 31, both died, deputies in Chester said, and four other people were injured during the shooting, The Herald previously reported.
Authorities did not say how they found Miller in Texas.
Within the past hour, Vangereil Dretreckes Miller was safely taken into custody by federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities in Fort Worth, Texas.
In the coming days, he will be processed in that jurisdiction and will be extradited back to South Carolina. pic.twitter.com/Dg1mjBXiYz— Chester County Sheriff's Office (@ChesterSheriff) August 31, 2022
At the time of the March shootings, Miller was free on bail after being charged in connection with two other shootings from 2020, South Carolina court records show.
Miller faces two counts of murder and weapons charges from the March shootings in Chester near the York County line.
Miller has also been charged with possession of a weapon by a violent felon and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, deputies said.
Manhunt since March
The FBI had been part of a manhunt for Miller before he was captured, Chester deputies said in social media postings in March. A $10,000 reward had been offered.
In March, the Chester County Sheriff’s Office accused Vangereil Miller of shooting multiple people at a location in the northern part of Chester County. As a result of this incident, both Kevin Feaster and Shonta Neely lost their lives. pic.twitter.com/VMmMF8h6cr
— Chester County Sheriff's Office (@ChesterSheriff) May 31, 2022
In a statement, prosecutors from the 6th Circuit Solicitors Office in Chester County thanked law enforcement for finding Miller.
“The solicitor’s office is grateful to the tireless efforts of the Sheriff’s Office and the multiple agencies that finally apprehended this extremely dangerous fugitive,” 6th Circuit Deputy Solicitor Candice Lively said in a statement to The Herald. “We will now do our part to ensure that he is prosecuted to the fullest.”
Miller faces extradition proceedings from Texas to South Carolina, but it is not clear when he will make a first appearance in court in Texas.
