A 17-year-old Gaffney High School senior was killed as he boarded a school bus, and investigators say three teenagers were involved.
GAFFNEY, S.C. — Three teenagers are in custody after 17-year-old Jomiltron Sentell Fair Jr. was fatally shot while boarding a school bus outside his apartment complex, authorities said, bringing a manhunt and a series of arrests in the South Carolina case to an end.
Fair, a senior at Gaffney High School, was killed Wednesday morning, Aug. 12, near the 500 block of West Rutledge Avenue. Police said he had walked from his apartment to the bus stop shortly before 6:50 a.m. and was preparing to board when an altercation began. Authorities said the confrontation and shooting were captured by surveillance equipment on the school bus. Fifteen students were already aboard the bus at the time, according to reports citing investigators.
Authorities have identified two of the suspects as 18-year-old Keveon Ken’Dre Covington and 17-year-old Reginald Louis Barnes Jr. A third suspect is 16, and officials have not released that teenager’s name because of his age. Barnes and Covington face murder and weapons charges. The 16-year-old was taken into custody in Spartanburg County as investigators continued working to determine the roles of each person involved.
Barnes was the first suspect arrested. Gaffney police said he was taken into custody in Spartanburg at about 2:30 a.m. Thursday. He is being prosecuted as an adult and is charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. A judge denied him bond and ordered him to have no contact with Fair’s family. Prosecutors said in court that investigators were analyzing evidence to determine exactly who fired the shot that killed Fair.
During Barnes’ bond hearing, Solicitor Barry Barnette said investigators believed two shooters and two guns were involved and that at least five gunshots were fired. Barnes told the court he was present but denied shooting Fair. His statements remain claims made by a defendant in a pending criminal case, and the charges against him have not been proven in court.
Covington was captured Thursday afternoon after an intensive search involving dozens of law enforcement officers. Cherokee County Sheriff Steve Mueller said authorities established a perimeter in an area bordered by Concord Road, Highway 150, Pleasant School Road and Wilcox Road after investigators received information that Covington was nearby. A local elementary school was placed on a precautionary lockout during the search.
Mueller said residents on Marlowe Drive later reported that Covington had approached their home and asked to use a phone and get water. Authorities said he ran into a wooded area when officers arrived. He was located shortly before 5 p.m. and taken into custody without incident. Covington was subsequently charged with murder and possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a violent crime. A judge later denied him bond, according to local reports.
At Covington’s bond hearing Friday, prosecutors presented their account of video recorded before the shooting. Barnette said a vehicle pulled up behind the school bus before Covington got out and confronted Fair. Prosecutors said the recording captured a physical confrontation, followed by gunfire. Covington disputed the prosecution’s account in court and denied that he was at the scene. Investigators have continued examining physical and video evidence in the case.
The 16-year-old suspect was taken into custody during a traffic stop in Spartanburg County, authorities said. Because he is a juvenile, officials have released fewer details about his alleged role. Authorities said he was being handled through the juvenile justice system, though reporting on the case indicated he also faces allegations connected to Fair’s death. His identity has not been made public.
School bus surveillance footage became a key part of the investigation. Police said the recording showed the person involved in the confrontation leaving the area and moving toward a waiting vehicle after the shooting. Investigators used the footage and other evidence as they searched for the people believed to have participated in the attack. Authorities have not publicly established which suspect fired the fatal shot, and prosecutors said testing was underway on the firearms recovered in the investigation.
Fair’s relatives attended court proceedings following the arrests. Family members described him as a teenager who loved his family and was working toward graduating from high school early. They also said he was preparing to become a father in October. The shooting occurred only days into the school year and prompted expressions of grief from students, local officials and members of the Gaffney community.
Gaffney Police Chief Gerald Knight credited local, state and federal agencies that helped investigate the shooting and locate the suspects. The search drew participation from numerous law enforcement personnel, while authorities temporarily adjusted security measures around nearby schools. The lockout at Grassy Pond Elementary School was later lifted after Covington was captured.
The case remains under investigation as authorities analyze firearms, video and other evidence to determine each suspect’s alleged role in Fair’s death. Barnes and Covington remain accused of murder, while the juvenile case is being handled separately because of the third suspect’s age. No court has determined the defendants’ guilt.
Author note: Last updated August 16, 2026.