In the winter of 2016, a life was tragically cut short in the parking lot of a Bojangles' restaurant in Mauldin, South Carolina. Savon Jair Allen, a 19-year-old male, was fatally shot in the head on the evening of January 30th. The incident, which unfolded around 9:15 p.m. at the fast-food establishment on East Butler Road, was not a random act of violence but rather a prearranged meeting that spiraled into a deadly confrontation.
Authorities later revealed that Savon Allen and a friend
had driven to the Bojangles parking lot to conduct a drug deal. It was there that they were met by three individuals who had a different intention: robbery. An exchange that was supposed to be a transaction quickly escalated, leading to an eruption of gunfire. In the ensuing chaos, Savon Allen was struck and killed while seated in the passenger seat of a pickup truck. The driver of the truck sustained a gunshot wound to the hand.
The Mauldin Police Department swiftly launched an investigation, and within a day, three suspects were in custody. William Zachary Newton and Trevonte Antonio Watts, both 19 years old at the time, were arrested and faced a litany of serious charges, including murder, attempted murder, and attempted armed robbery. A 15-year-old female was also taken into custody in connection with the fatal shooting, though her name was not publicly released due to her age. Investigators determined that Newton and Watts had approached the pickup truck on foot while the teenage girl waited in a separate vehicle. During the shootout, Watts was also injured, suffering a gunshot wound to his arm.
The legal proceedings that followed the arrests sought to bring justice for the violent end to a young life. William Zachary Newton and Trevonte Antonio Watts were both charged with murder, attempted murder, attempted armed robbery, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. They were both denied bond and held at the Greenville County Detention Center. The investigation also revealed that at least two of the weapons recovered from the scene had been reported stolen. The resolution of the charges against the 15-year-old accomplice remains undisclosed in available public records.
