Eight-year-old Quarius Naqua Dunham, a male from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was visiting Florence, South Carolina, with his family for a high school graduation. On the afternoon of Saturday, May 28, 2022, the family was on their way to get barbecue when their car came under fire on Old River Road. Quarius, who was in the vehicle with his father, was struck by a bullet.
His father also sustained a gunshot wound to his leg.
Quarius was rushed to a local hospital where he underwent surgery and was listed in critical condition. Tragically, the young boy was taken off life support the following day and succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy was scheduled to be performed at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Remembered as a third-grader at Little Harbour School in Portsmouth, Quarius was passionate about basketball and had a smile that was larger than life.
Florence County Sheriff's deputies identified Charles Montgomery Allen, a 40-year-old with a known criminal history, as the suspect. It is alleged that Allen was randomly shooting at passing vehicles from his residence on Old River Road. Following a brief standoff with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team at his home, Allen was taken into custody.
Charles Montgomery Allen was arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder, discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. He is being held at the Florence County Detention Center without bond. The sheriff speculated that the senseless act was committed while Allen was under the influence of drugs, as there appeared to be no motive for the shooting.
