Eric Jermaine Johnson, 53, a lifelong resident of Union, South Carolina, was found in an open field behind South Pinckney Street after neighbors reported gunfire on a warm Friday evening in mid-July 2025. He was shot at least once, transported to Spartanburg Medical Center, and died later that night; the Union County Coroner identified him as Eric Johnson and funeral services were set for July 25 at Community Mortuary Chapel with burial at Rosemont Cemetery.

Family remembrances note his service in the United States Army, graduation from Union High School in 1990, and a close network of siblings, nieces, nephews, and friends who called him dependable. Investigators secured the scene on West Henrietta Street, reviewed surveillance video and witness statements, and say that led them to identify 34-year-old Charles Mark Young as a suspect. Arrest warrants were obtained charging him with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and authorities warned he should be considered armed and dangerous.

No widely reported arrest, trial, or conviction is noted through late 2025. If anyone in Union that night saw something or has information about Charles Mark Young’s whereabouts, please come forward.