Hours after a 39-year-old tattoo artist was shot to death at work this weekend, a 26-year-old Lexington, South Carolina man was charged in his murder, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
Regin Nicreis Oakman was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in the Jan. 31 murder of Michael Lewis Keaton of Gaston, South Carolina.
Keaton was shot to death around 12:30 a.m. Sunday at the Lucky 7s Electric Tattoo Company on Platt Springs Road in West Columbia, South Carolina, according to reports.
“Based on the interviews conducted at the start of our investigation, the shooting stemmed from an argument between two men who worked together at the business,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said.
According to Keaton’s Facebook, he has worked as a tattoo artist at Lucky 7s Electric Tattoo Company since 2016.
Two coworkers were arguing throughout the day Saturday and the argument escalated into a physical fight after midnight Sunday, according to Koon.
“That’s when witnesses tell us Oakman pulled a gun and shot Keaton,” Koon said.
Oakman drove away from the tattoo parlor in a white Crown Victorian that had a spotlight near the driver’s mirror, according to arrest warrants in the case. He was quickly identified as a person of interest in the investigation.
“They tracked him to a home on Topaz Court and arrested him without incident Sunday afternoon,” Koon said.
Topaz Court is about seven minutes from the murder scene.
According to the arrest warrants (below), Oakman was “identified using public record after receiving an alias and phone number for the defendant, as well as witness identification.”
Oakman was booked at the Lexington County Detention Center, where he awaits a bond hearing, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
According to numerous Facebook posts, Keaton was a well-known tattoo artist and musician who went by “Mic Grippa” on SoundCloud.
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to proactively address? We have an open microphone policy here at FITSNews! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
