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Published: Friday, Feb. 01, 2013 / Updated: Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013 02:31 PM

York man wanted in deadly home invasion turns himself in

ROCK HILL -- 

A York man who, court records show, had just been released from jail on weapons and drug charges, is accused of fatally shooting a 31-year-old father-of-five in a Rock Hill home invasion Sunday morning.

Authorities have charged 26-year-old Vincent Alfonzo Bratton with murder after he turned himself in to deputies around 6 p.m. Sunday, said Trent Faris, spokesman for the York County Sheriff's Office. By Sunday night, officials were still questioning Bratton, who has prior arrests in both Rock Hill and York.

Bratton, whose most recent address is listed as a South Pacific Avenue home in York, was arrested Friday and charged with possession of marijuana, possession of a pistol, manufacturing drugs and driving under the influence, according to records on file with the S.C. Judicial Department.

On Saturday, he was released on a more than $30,000 bond.

According to police, Bratton broke into a home at 1540 Neely Store Road sometime after 1 a.m. and shot Shannon Jenkins, who died at the scene, said York County Coroner Sabrina Gast. Jenkins lived in the home with several others.

After an autopsy, Gast declined to say how many times or where Jenkins was shot.

Hours after Jenkins’ death, a lone deputy stayed parked at the house, which sits at the corner near a stop sign where Neely Store Road intersects with Shandon Road.

Officials still have not said if other people were in the home at the time or if any items had been taken during the home invasion. Police did not say if Bratton or Jenkins were acquainted and would not say how they were able to identify Bratton as a suspect.

Right now, deputies are looking only for Bratton, said Faris in response to a question about possible other arrests.

Records on file with the state Judicial Department show that Bratton has a history of run-ins with the law. In 2007, he pleaded guilty to giving false information to police but was sentenced to time served. Last year, he pleaded guilty to those same charges and was fined $250. He was also charged with failing to maintain proof of insurance and speeding more than 25 mph.

Earlier this month, he was ticketed $81 for speeding. His family declined to comment about the situation when reached by The Herald.

Sunday morning, the neighborhood was quiet but the remnants of the home invasion were clear. Yellow crime tape surrounded the house and much of the yard. Three wooden planks were strewn in the front yard, just feet away from a tilted front door and a screen door at the side of the house that was left wide open.

Toys and a basketball goal in the backyard could be seen from the road. A white Jeep was still parked in the driveway.

Next-door neighbor Wayne Reeves said he never got too close to the people who lived at the house because they usually kept to themselves. Aside from occasionally waving and speaking with some of the residents, Reeves said he didn't speak much with his neighbors.

Frank Spitzer, who lives across the street and a couple of houses down, said the same as Reeves, that the family usually kept to themselves and didn't speak much with neighbors.

Sunday morning, when police say someone broke into the home, Spitzer heard no commotion or gunshots. But just after 3 a.m., he said he looked outside and saw several cars in the area.

Another neighbor, Mitchell Hollingsworth, was shocked to hear about the shooting in an area he says is quiet and, until Sunday morning, boasted “no problems...none.”

Hollingsworth described his neighborhood of 10 years as a residential community filled with retirees, kids and working people. Like the others, he didn't know the people who lived at the house for at least five years. He did remember seeing them once rush to help a driver who crashed his car into a ditch.

“We're a tight-knit community,” Hollingsworth said, adding that many of his neighbors own guns with hopes that they'll never have to use them. “My neighbor fixed my roof for free.”

“Everybody’s great,” he said.

Jenkins had several charges, including drug possession and driving under suspension, pending from incidents in November and December, state court records show. He was arrested in Mecklenburg County in May, charged with possession of marijuana and cocaine, according to booking information from the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office. He was charged with the same crimes four months later, also in Mecklenburg County.

Jenkins’ father, Karl Jenkins, said his son knew Bratton, but he didn't go into detail. He said that his son was “very lovable; he'd do anything in the world for you.”

Jenkins was “a great son...great father and a great friend,” Karl Jenkins said.

Channon Forte, Jenkins’ fiancée and the mother of one of his five children – three boys and two girls – tearfully said her husband-to-be was “quiet, calm and didn't bother anyone.”

“He took care of his kids – every last one of them,” she said in a phone conversation with The Herald. “When he didn’t have, his kids had. He put nothing before them.”

Jenkins' death is the first homicide in York County this year.