Man in critical condition after domestic-related incident dies

KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - A man accused of shooting and killing his 20-year-old fiancé has passed away.

Kershaw County Coroner David West announced the death of 21-year-old Robert Matthew Griffin Jr.

Coroner West said Girffin passed away at 1:03 p.m. on Sunday, April 2.

Griffin was in critical condition after deputies found him with a gunshot wound to the head alongside his fiancé Jordan Privette on Wednesday, March 29, according to detectives.

Deputies said they believed Griffin shot himself after he shot and killed Privette.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

Police reports document numerous allegations of domestic violence between Jordan Privette and her fiancé 21-year-old Matt Griffin Jr. prior to that deadly shooting Wednesday night.

RELATED COVERAGE: Kershaw County deputies investigating shooting after one person is deceased, another in critical condition

WIS’s Ashley Jones spoke with Privette’s younger brother and he’s now hoping this incident will bring awareness to just how deadly domestic violence can be.

“It doesn’t feel real. Wednesday night did not feel like a day. It felt like a nightmare,” said 16-year-old Dylan Privette.

Dylan is still finding ways to grapple with the loss of his older sister. He says “She was a great mother to her kids and daughter and sister. She was just always happy.”

Dylan also described his sister as bright but Wednesday night, the light was put out. Kershaw County investigators say Jordan was shot in the head by her fiancé, someone who Dylan says was very close to the family.

“He lived with us for a couple of years. He got close with us and that’s what made it more devastating that he would do that because he basically watched me and my little brother grow up to we were teenagers and it’s just why would he do that?” he asked.

Kershaw County Sheriff Lee Boan says this wasn’t the first time the couple had been involved in a domestic dispute. The first reported incident was in 2020 when griffin was arrested for domestic violence of high and aggravated nature. That incident also involved a firearm. The second reported incident was also in 2022, also involving a gun.

“I guess he’s fascinated with guns or something but he’s in the passenger seat of a vehicle and he’s playing with a handgun he just purchased and somehow as he’s racking the slide it discharges goes through his left wrist and into the driver side where Jordan was sitting,” Sherriff Boan said.

Jordan was struck in the chest and had to be taken to the hospital while Griffin had to be flown to the hospital because EMS couldn’t get the bleeding to stop.

“Unfortunately, we see it all too often. South Carolina ranks consistently one of the top in the nation.”

Suffering in silence is how Leah Wicevic the interim director of Sistercare describes domestic violence.

Wicevic said, “According to the Attorney General’s office here in South Carolina. The most recent data is that 49 individuals were the victims of domestic homicide.

That number continues to grow.

In just one-week, WIS reported three separate incidents of domestic homicide including three young children in Sumter, a young woman in Richland County and now a young mother of two out of Kershaw County.

“Being a listening ear is really the most important thing. Because abuse is about power, and control more so than violence comes out of this more so power and control the abuser is wanting. So being able to just talk and ask questions is really just so important,” said Wicevic.

Wicevic went on to say that it takes about seven incidents before domestic violence can become deadly. She says usually abuse will start off verbally, mentally, and even financially before it turns physical.

There are resources available. Sistercare is a local organization that works with victims of abuse. If you or someone you know needs help, contact them with the information below.

SisterCare Crisis Line

803-765-9428

Office number

803-926-0505

Notice a spelling or grammar error in this article? Click or tap here to report it. Please include the article's headline.

Stay up to date with WIS News 10. Get the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and Stream us on Roku, YouTube, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV.

Copyright 2023 WIS. All rights reserved.