Church in prayer after teen shot in parking lot

By Jessica Brodie

GREENVILLE—A community and church are in mourning this week after the death of a teenager outside St. Mark United Methodist Church in Greenville’s Sans Souci community.

According to the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded after a report of gunshots at 8:19 p.m. Saturday, April 12, to the parking lot of the church, located at 306 N. Franklin Rd. There they found 16-year-old Hans “Jaiden” Thompson with a gunshot wound. Police said Jaiden was transported to the hospital, where he died.

Days later, police arrested two juvenile suspects in the shooting—one a 16-year-old, arrested April 14 and charged with murder, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, armed robbery, possession of a firearm by a person under 18 and criminal conspiracy. The second, a 15-year-old who was arrested at Travelers Rest High School April 15, faces the same charges.

In his obituary, Jaiden was described as “the kind of guy who could light up a room with his smile and keep it bright with his laughter” and “the beloved ringleader of his family” who loved dirt bikes, video games and hanging out with friends. He leaves behind his parents, a sister, grandparents and a host of friends. 

Police said the suspects and victim allegedly met in the parking lot of St. Mark UMC on Saturday evening around 8 p.m., where they shot and robbed the victim before leaving the scene. Through a variety of investigative leads, investigators were able to quickly identify the suspects, who will be housed in the Juvenile Detention Facility in Columbia pending court hearings.

St. Mark UMC is a small church with roughly 58 members pastored by the Rev. Tony Owens. In the church worship service Sunday morning, which was livestreamed on Facebook, Owens asked the congregation to be in prayer for Jaiden’s family after the incident.