Wednesday Night RH Double Homicide Leads To Chase
The Highway 21 bridge in Rock Hill was closed due to a crash Wednesday night after an incident at Budiman’s Smokeshop & Art Gallery on Cherry Road. Two people were killed and another was hurt after a man opened fire at a Rock Hill smoke shop before leading police on a chase. The suspect, 28-year-old Zachary East Elias got into a Dodge truck and fled north on Cherry Road before crashing at the bridge over the Catawba River. Following the crash, he got out of the truck and “was confronted by officers,” according to police. Police found three victims inside the smoke shop with gunshot wounds. A man and woman had already died, while another woman was taken to the hospital. Police did not provide her condition. A third was inside at the time of the shooting but was not hurt. None of the victims’ names have been released. Elias was taken to the Rock Hill Jail and charged with two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and possession of a weapon during a crime of violence.
