In the late hours of a Thursday night in Newberry, South Carolina, a sequence of events began that would culminate in tragedy. On the morning of Friday, September 5, 2025, police received a distressing call reporting a shooting at the College Park Apartments. The report also indicated that a woman and a child had been forcibly taken from the location. Officers were dispatched to the scene, where they had to force their way into an apartment.
Inside, they made a grim discovery; a man lay deceased on the floor from an apparent gunshot wound.
The victim was identified as Dexter Tobias Gary Sr., a 53-year-old male from Pomaria. A United States Army veteran who had attended S. C. State University, he was a father to two children. His life was cut short in an act of violence that also endangered two others. As investigators processed the scene of the homicide, a multi-county effort was launched to locate the abducted woman and child and to apprehend the person responsible for this violent crime spree.
The investigation led law enforcement to the nearby town of Chapin in Lexington County. Through the collaborative work of the Newberry Police Department, the Newberry County Sheriff's Office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Lexington County Sheriff's Office, the suspect was located. The kidnapped woman and child were found with him and were safely returned to Newberry. The suspect, identified as 53-year-old David Ray Clark of Chapin, was taken into custody.
Following his arrest, David Ray Clark was transported to the Newberry County Detention Center. He faces a multitude of serious charges, including murder, two counts of kidnapping, armed robbery, and unlawfully placing a child at risk of harm. Additionally, he was charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime and possession of a firearm by a person convicted of certain crimes. Clark was denied bond and remains in custody as the investigation continues.
