Five-year-old Brite Shalom Acoy has died in a Greenville apartment shootout that has taken a darker turn. Brite’s twin sister, Journey Acoy, also sustained serious injuries and is receiving treatment.
However, a dark and surprising turn in the incident that broke last week, Friday, April 25, 2025, is that the twins’ aunt and legal guardian has now been arrested and charged with multiple crimes—including drug trafficking, unlawful child conduct, and weapons offenses.
According to the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, 32-year-old Stanci Joy Acoy, the guardian of Brite, her critically injured twin sister, and four other children, was taken into custody Tuesday, April 30, after deputies discovered alarming living conditions in her home.
Investigators say six children were forced to share one bed, with a loaded firearm within reach, over 50 grams of crack cocaine, more than 90 grams of marijuana, and various drug paraphernalia present in the residence.
Acoy is now facing five counts of unlawful conduct toward a child, unlawful possession of a firearm, trafficking cocaine, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
The sheriff’s office confirmed that the children were removed from the home and placed into emergency protective custody by the Department of Social Services.
This development comes just days after Brite Acoy was killed and her twin sister Journey was critically injured in a shootout at the Belle Meade Apartments on Fleetwood Drive on the evening of April 25.
According to authorities, the 5-year-olds were innocent bystanders inside their apartment when two groups exchanged gunfire outside.
An 18-year-old was also shot in the arm but is expected to recover. Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis condemned the violence in strong terms, calling the shooters “thugs” and suggesting gang ties may be involved. “
Such a senseless act that occurred today,” he said. “It truly makes our blood boil.”
So far, three individuals have been arrested in connection to the shooting:
- Shawnteza La Shay Sherman, 31, was charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder, and criminal conspiracy. Her bond was denied.
- A 16-year-old juvenile is facing charges of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
- Another juvenile has been charged with weapons violations. Both are currently in custody at the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia.
At Sherman’s bond hearing, her girlfriend—also identified as the twins’ aunt—attempted to clear her name, claiming Sherman had “nothing to do with why my niece is gone today.”
But deputies say witness accounts and surveillance footage tell a different story.
