In the early morning hours of December 20, 2017, a violent altercation erupted outside the Black Pearl nightclub on Broad River Road in Columbia, South Carolina, claiming the life of 23-year-old Black male Trevonne Judge. The incident occurred around 3:00 a.m. as patrons were leaving the venue. Judge was present at the club celebrating the birthday of his older brother, 26-year-old Torance Peoples.
What began as a celebration turned tragic when a dispute that originated inside the establishment spilled out into the parking lot, escalating rapidly into a deadly exchange of gunfire that left both brothers dead from gunshot wounds to the upper body.
Richland County Sheriff’s Department investigators determined that the conflict started over a theft inside the club. Authorities reported that money belonging to an entertainer had been stolen, sparking a confrontation between two groups of men. As the argument migrated outside, weapons were drawn. Police findings indicated that Judge displayed a firearm during the dispute, prompting another individual, Marcus Robinson, to retrieve a weapon from his vehicle. Witnesses described a chaotic scene where multiple shots were fired simultaneously by opposing sides. In addition to the two fatalities, two other men, including Robinson and Travontay Myers, sustained gunshot injuries during the shootout. Myers fled the scene but was later located at a hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Law enforcement officers processed the crime scene and recovered weapons that ballistics testing later matched to the bullets that wounded the surviving participants. In the immediate aftermath, deputies arrested Jumaane Evins, identifying him as the individual who had stolen the money that precipitated the violence. Evins was charged with petit larceny, but the investigation into the homicides proved more complex due to the circumstances of the shootout. Detectives worked with the 5th Circuit Solicitor's Office to review the evidence, witness statements, and ballistics data to determine if murder charges were warranted.
Ultimately, prosecutors decided not to file charges in connection with the deaths of Judge and Peoples. In January 2018, the Solicitor's Office concluded that the evidence suggested a scenario of mutual combat or self-defense that would make a successful prosecution for murder unlikely. The investigation revealed that the exchange of gunfire was reciprocal, and with the primary aggressors and victims all armed or involved in the escalation, the state declined to pursue homicide indictments against the surviving shooters, Robinson and Myers.
Before his untimely death, Trevonne Judge was known in his community as a dedicated student and athlete. He was a graduate of Lugoff-Elgin High School, where he had been an honors student and played linebacker for the football team. At the time of his passing, he had recently completed an associate degree in business administration from Midlands Technical College and was employed by the City of Columbia. He was described by friends and family as inseparable from his brother Torance, and he left behind two children. The Black Pearl nightclub voluntarily closed its doors following the double fatal shooting.
