Aiken police charge teen in murder outside McDonald’s

Caleb Johnson, suspect

Date: February 15, 2022

Aiken Public Safety investigators have charged an Aiken teen in the December murder of another teen outside the McDonald’s on York Street.

Caleb Johnson, 18, of Vincent Avenue N.E., Aiken, was charged Monday in connection to the murder of 16-year-old Thaj Nance-Parker.

Thaj Nance-Parker, victim

Johnson is charged with murder and weapon possession, accused of shooting the victim Dec. 3 in the chest with a Glock 17 9mm firearm. Aiken police were called to the fast-food restaurant around 7 p.m. that day for a shooting. Upon arrival, officers found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound.

Nance-Parker was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later. The victim was an Aiken High School student.

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Authorities believe the teens knew each other and had arranged to meet in the parking lot of the McDonald’s where the victim worked, possibly for the sale of an unknown item. But the fatal shooting occurred during a botched robbery attempt by Johnson.

The Aiken Department of Public Safety received assistance from Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, 2nd Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office, U.S. Secret Service, South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), Richmond County (GA) Sheriff’s Office, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) RAGE Unit Task Force, and South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC).

Johnson is being held at the Aiken County Detention Center.

Greg Rickabaugh is the Jail Report contributor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at greg.rickabaugh@theaugustapress.com 

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The Author

Greg Rickabaugh is an award-winning crime reporter in the Augusta-Aiken area with experience writing for The Augusta Chronicle and serving as publisher of The Jail Report. He also owns AugustaCrime.com. Rickabaugh is a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina and has appeared on several crime documentaries on the Investigation Discovery channel. He is married with two daughters.

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