On a tragic Saturday evening, October 26, 2013, the life of 18-year-old Gregory Shaquan Saunders was cut short in Greenville, South Carolina. A student at Carolina High School, Saunders was fatally shot while driving a car at The Fairway Club Apartments on Villa Road. The incident unfolded during what was reportedly a planned drug deal. Saunders, along with his cousin who was a junior at Mauldin High School, and another individual had arranged to buy half an ounce of marijuana.
During
the transaction, the situation escalated dramatically. Raekwon Ny-Allah Mclean, who was 18 at the time, pulled out a 9 mm handgun. He fired three shots at one of the individuals who was standing at the rear of the vehicle, causing serious injury. Mclean then fired three more shots into the car where Saunders was seated in the driver's seat. Saunders, who was unarmed and had his windows closed, was struck and died at the scene from a gunshot wound. His cousin was also wounded in the shooting and taken to the hospital.
Following the shooting, Mclean fled the scene, prompting a manhunt. He was apprehended two days later near Atlanta and was subsequently extradited back to Greenville to face justice. Mclean was charged with murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Two other individuals were also arrested in connection with the incident.
In April 2015, Raekwon Ny-Allah Mclean pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, two counts of attempted murder, discharging a firearm into a vehicle, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the death of Gregory Shaquan Saunders and the wounding of his cousin. The terms of his sentence require him to serve at least 85 percent before the possibility of parole.
