Neighbor says home where child was killed changed after marriage problems started, one parent moved
Oak Grove, SC (Paul Kirby) – A neighbor who lived on a street in the same development as the boy who was shot and killed earlier this week near Oak Grove said the home where the child lived changed after marital problems broke the family up some time ago. Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said Tuesday afternoon that eight-year-old Mason Hanahan was shot and killed earlier on the morning of May 14, 2019. The boy was hit by gunfire during a shootout in what the Sheriff’s Department has described as a home invasion. This all happened on Cedar Vale Drive in a quiet area off Jessamine Road near Oak Grove.
According to a neighbor who lived within sight of the home and saw the crime scene tape before contacting The Lexington Ledger Tuesday, as the makeup of adults in the home changed, so did the environment. She said it was a nice home with a pool in a small cul-de-sac. The neighborhood that rarely saw any problems or traffic other than its residents and a few visitors coming and going was quiet. That all changed, she said, when something happened between the couple who lived there some time back. “The mother moved out and the man stayed. As soon as that happened, things changed. We began seeing cars going in and out of there at all hours of the night,” she said while speaking under the condition of anonymity. “The number of people was troubling, and it often seemed like they didn’t stay long, just coming and going at the strangest times.” She also said that there had been several rumors that had circulated around the neighborhood that drugs were being used and sold there regularly.
The neighbor said the night that the child died, there were shots, something that sounded like a person running, and the sound of a car that sped away. She said it didn’t take long for the neighborhood to light up with emergency vehicles and deputies to begin stringing the crime scene tape. She knew something bad had happened, but it wasn’t until she was at work the following day that she received the news that the boy had been killed.
Now, other news sources are saying that a 23-year old woman has been arrested on charges related to drugs that was in the home when the shooting started. This has not been confirmed by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. Those media outlets quote an unnamed source that says Linda Lyn Monette, 23, was arrested on drug charges after the shooting and the child’s death. She was not taken into custody at the home but was booked into the Lexington County Detention Center where bond was set at $20,000.
The father of the child also was wounded in an exchange of gunfire with what has been described as a masked intruder. He was transported to a hospital and his condition has not been released. Investigators believe that the intruder also may have been wounded by the gunfire. Eventually, that individual may seek medical help.
The Sheriff’s Department says that they are continuing with their investigation. They asked that anyone with information contact CRIMESTOPPERS at 1-888-CRIME SC. You can also make tips through their website at midlandscrimestoppers.com.
