Sumter auto shop shooting suspect waives extradition

Will be brought back to Sumter to face murder charge

Posted

The self-proclaimed Moorish sovereign citizen who is accused in the fatal shooting of a man at Auto Doctors in Sumter during the weekend waived extradition in a Jacksonville, Florida, courtroom Thursday afternoon and will be brought back to South Carolina to face murder charges.

Demetrius Alexander Brown, 38, who has had a handful of known addresses in Sumter and Lee counties, is suspected of shooting Sharmine Pack, 34, on Saturday, according to the sheriff's office and previous Sumter Item reports.

A hearing Thursday only lasted a few minutes, according to Ben Naim, a reporter at the Ponte Vedra Recorder, which is a sister paper to The Sumter Item. He said Brown appeared to be cooperative and had a chance to quickly speak to the judge.

Deputies responded to the South Pike Road East business about 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 11 to find Pack suffering multiple gunshot wounds. He later died at Palmetto Health Tuomey.

Brown fled the area. After being spotted in Jackson County, Georgia, on Monday, he was caught in Florida late Wednesday night, according to Ken Bell, public information officer for the Sumter County Sheriff's Office.

"We want to thank the U.S. Marshals Service as well as other agencies that helped make this arrest," Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said. "We want Mr. Brown to have his day in court, which will help bring closure to Mr. Pack's family."

Sovereign citizens think they belong to a sovereign nation and, therefore, do not have to obey the laws of this country and state. Moors specifically are known for being antagonistic against law enforcement and often violently clash when being arrested.

Brown, who has been arrested in Sumter before and has been combative when being detained, reportedly was apprehended without incident.

Bell said Sumter deputies will bring Brown back to Sumter "as soon as arrangements can be made."

Brown's criminal past in Sumter County includes multiple arrests and convictions for burglary and forgery.

According to the investigation, the shooting is thought to have stemmed from a conversation about a vehicle sale from Pack to Brown.