In the quiet town of Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina, the life of 11-year-old Ta'Shya Michelle Jay was tragically cut short on the evening of June 9, 2021. A rising fifth-grader with a big heart and a love for making TikTok videos, Ta'Shya was at a friend's home on Madera Road with her mother and younger sister when gunshots erupted outside. The family was watching television when they heard the shots and dropped to the ground for safety.
Amidst the chaos of a gunfight that broke out
at a nearby party, a stray bullet pierced the home where Ta'Shya and her family were seeking refuge. The bullet traveled through an exterior wall, penetrated a refrigerator that the young girl was hiding behind, and struck her in the head, killing her instantly. Another child in the home, a 13-year-old girl, was also struck by gunfire but was fortunate to survive her injuries. Ta'Shya's mother tragically witnessed the immediate aftermath of her daughter being shot. The incident was the result of a shootout involving at least six individuals, stemming from an earlier altercation. A total of 48 shots were fired during the exchange.
In the wake of the devastating event, the Lexington County Sheriff's Department launched an investigation that quickly led to an arrest. Twenty-nine-year-old Quayshaun X. Clark was taken into custody and charged with murder, attempted murder, possessing a weapon during a violent crime, and discharging a firearm into a dwelling. Investigators determined that a round from the AK-P7 assault pistol that Clark fired during the shootout was the one that fatally wounded Ta'Shya. Clark, who was identified as a validated gang member, admitted to law enforcement that he had fired the weapon at the scene.
The case proceeded to trial in June 2022. Prosecutors argued that Clark was a willing participant in the gunfight, while his defense claimed he was acting in self-defense after being fired upon. On July 6, 2022, a Lexington County jury found Quayshaun X. Clark guilty on all charges. He was subsequently sentenced to 48 years in prison for the murder of Ta'Shya Jay and is not eligible for parole on that charge. The community mourned the loss of the vibrant young girl, planting a red maple tree in her memory, a symbol of a life taken far too soon.
