One teen charged & manhunt for another after deadly bus stop shooting, SC cops say

A day after a high school student was shot and killed while getting onto a school bus in South Carolina, one teenager has been charged with murder and a manhunt is underway for another teen who is considered to be armed & dangerous, according to the Gaffney Police Department.

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Jomiltron Sentell Fair Jr., a 17-year-old Gaffney High School student, was shot and killed while boarding a school bus Wednesday morning, Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said.

On Thursday morning, 17-year-old Reginald Louis Barnes Jr., was charged with murder and possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a violent crime, police said in a news release.

Barnes was booked into the Cherokee County Detention Center, and a bond hearing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon, according to the release.

There’s also a search for 18-year-old Keveon Ken’Dre Covington, police said. Covington, who is wanted on charges of murder and possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a violent crime, is considered to be armed & dangerous, according to the release. Anyone who sees Covington is warned to not approach him, but is asked to call 911.

Anyone with information about Covington, or the shooting, is asked to call police at 864-489-8115.

“A young man’s life was cut short. It is incredibly important to report any information you may have on this incident,” Police Chief Gerald Knight said in the release. “This is a difficult time for our community, and I ask that we pray for Jomiltron’s family.”

Police said that Fair just started his senior year at Gaffney High School, which held its first day of classes Monday.

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The shooting

The shooting happened at a bus stop in the 500 block of West Rutledge Avenue, according to police.

At about 6:50 a.m. Wednesday, Fair walked from his apartment across the street from the bus stop and was about to board the bus when a male approached him, according to Fowler. After a short altercation, Fair was shot and died at the scene, Fowler said.

Fowler said there were 15 students on the bus, but no other injuries were reported.

Surveillance cameras on the bus showed the shooter go to a waiting vehicle driven by another person immediately after the gunfire, according to Fowler. It was not clear if Barnes or Covington was believed to be the gunman.

There was no word about a motive for the shooting.

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, South Carolina Highway Patrol, South Carolina State Transport Police and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are assisting in the investigation and the search for anyone believed to be involved in the incident.