In the late summer of 2017, the community of Cheraw, South Carolina, was shaken by a violent act that claimed the life of one of its own. Michael Lavon Powe, a 32-year-old male, became the victim of a fatal shooting on the evening of Saturday, September 2nd. The incident unfolded in the parking lot of a Money Saver convenience store located on Highway 9, a place of routine comings and goings that was tragically transformed into a crime scene.
Responding to a call, officers from the
Cheraw Police Department arrived to find Powe suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was immediately transported to McLeod Health Cheraw, but the severity of his injuries proved to be too great, and he was pronounced dead at the hospital. The sudden and violent nature of his death sent ripples of grief and shock through the local area.
The investigation into the shooting was swift, aided by the crucial fact that the event did not go unseen. Several witnesses were present at the time of the shooting, and their accounts, combined with surveillance footage from the convenience store, quickly provided investigators with a clear direction. Based on the evidence they gathered, a warrant was issued for the arrest of 24-year-old Shavelle McDonald, also a resident of Cheraw.
The day after the shooting, on Sunday, September 3rd, Shavelle McDonald turned himself into the Cheraw Police Department. He was subsequently arrested and charged with the murder of Michael Lavon Powe. In addition to the murder charge, McDonald also faced a charge of possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a violent crime, reflecting the armed nature of the fatal encounter. Following his arrest, he was held in custody as the legal process began to address the untimely death of Michael Lavon Powe.
