1 Dead, 2 Jailed After Fight at Party

Francis Marion Reeves III, 62, has been charged with murder in the shooting death of Deshaun Rashad Clark, 17, a senior at Chapin High School in Lexington County, S.C. and Breon Jacoby Mayers, 17, a friend of Clark's, has been charged with attempting to kill Reeves in a drive-by revenge shooting.

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It all began at a party hosted by Reeves' children at the family's lake house at 224 Lexington Lane. Someone claimed that a cellphone had been stolen and Deshaun Clark, an invited guest, was blamed for the theft. A fight ensued and Clark, after being struck a number of times, left the party vowing to return with some of his friends.

In the meantime Reeves' son left the party to get his father. He told Reeves that his 19-year-old daughter had been knocked out and left with a black eye during the fight. Reeves then took a loaded pistol and an unloaded shotgun and rushed over to the house.

While Reeves was at the party house, Clark returned with some friends. Reeves shot Clark once in the stomach. Everybody scattered and friends took Clark to the Chapin Fire Station from where Lexington County Emergency Medical Services personnel transported Clark by ambulance to Palmetto Health Richland Memorial Hospital for treatment for his gunshot wound. Clark died early the next morning from his injury.

"He literally bled to death," prosecutor Rick Hubbard said.

Reeves' attorney, Dick Harpootlian, said his client acted in self-defense, fearing that he and his children were in danger.

"This is a tragedy. Anytime somebody dies, anytime somebody's killed, that's a tragedy, but one has a right to act in self defense," Harpootlian said.

After the shooting Reeves returned home and was sitting on his front porch when a car drove by his house, shooting at the parked cars and the house itself. Reeves returned the fire, using his shotgun to injure two teenagers in the '85 Toyota Camry. A third teen, 17-year-old Breon Jacoby Mayers of Little Mountain, who did the actual shooting, was not hit.

Detectives arrested Reeves at his home on Dreher Island Rd. at about 3:45pm the next day, Saturday, on an arrest warrant on a charge of murder in connection with the shooting of 17-year-old Deshaun Rashad Clark, of Meadowlark Road, in Little Mountain. See TV news coverage here.

When Reeves was asked how he felt about Deshaun Clark's death, he responded: "I could care less"

Francis Reeves was released on a $125,000 bond.

Sheriff James Metts says Newberry Co. authorities arrested 17-year-old Breon Jacoby Mayers of Little Mountain at about 10pm on Sunday. Mayers was served with arrest warrants on charges of assault with intent to kill, discharging a firearm into a dwelling or vehicle and unlawful possession of a firearm by a person who is under the age of 21. See TV news coverage here.

Arrest warrants allege that at about 11:30pm on Friday Mayers "did with malice, aforethought and with intent to kill" fire several shots from a handgun at several cars that were parked in front of the home on Dreher Island Road.

Breon Mayers remains in jail on a $100,000 bond.