In the late afternoon of Wednesday, March 27, 2024, tragedy struck in North Augusta, South Carolina, ending the life of 32-year-old Tavaris Burley. A man known for his entrepreneurial spirit and as the CEO of Cash, No Credit Records, Burley was found lifeless, lying face down next to a car in the 900 block of Old Aiken Road. The Aiken County Coroner's Office would later confirm that he had succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds.
He was a father to two daughters, Amari Burley and Ne'vah Smith, and remembered for his warm, infectious personality.
The events unfolded around 5:20 p.m. when deputies from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the scene following reports of a shooting. Witnesses recounted a harrowing scene, stating that a man, later identified as 23-year-old Stephon Xzavier Dunbar, had exited a residence on Old Aiken Road and began firing at Burley. In the moments that followed the gunfire, Dunbar and a woman, identified as 29-year-old Shirlette Dainelle Hayes, were seen fleeing the area in a vehicle. The motive for the shooting has not been released, and it remains unclear what connection, if any, existed between Burley and the two suspects.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the Aiken County Sheriff's Office launched a public appeal for assistance in locating Hayes and Dunbar, both of whom were considered armed and dangerous. The search for the suspects continued until the evening of Wednesday, April 3, 2024, when Shirlette Dainelle Hayes surrendered to authorities. She was subsequently charged with Murder, Attempted Murder, and Possession of a Weapon During the Commission of a Crime and was booked at the Aiken County Detention Center.
While one suspect is in custody, the investigation remains active as authorities continue their search for Stephon Xzavier Dunbar. He is described as a Black male, standing 6 feet tall and weighing approximately 130 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. The community is still grappling with the violent loss of Tavaris Burley, a man whose life was cut short, leaving behind a grieving family and a legacy in the business world he had worked to build.
