Another teen arrested in fatal Bojangles shooting

A fourth person was arrested in connection with a fatal shooting in the parking lot of Bojangles, the Mauldin Police Department said Thursday.

A 16-year-old girl was charged with murder, attempted murder and attempted robbery in the death of 19-year-old Savon Jair Allen, Sgt. Ben Ford said. She had a role in the planning and execution of a drug-related, attempted robbery the night of Jan. 30, police said.

The girl's name is not being released because of her age. She is the second teen girl to be arrested in connection with the case.  A 15-year-old girl and two others were taken into custody Jan. 31 in connection with the homicide.

William Zachary Newton, 19, of Simpsonville, was charged with murder, attempted murder, attempted robbery and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, according to arrest warrants. 

Trevonte Antonio Watts, 20, of Simpsonville, was charged with murder, attempted murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, according to arrest warrants.

Newton and Watts are being held at the Greenville County Detention Center without bond.

Mauldin police reviewed footage from a Bojangles camera during the investigation.

Detectives say Watts and Newton arranged a drug deal with Allen at the Bojangles on E. Butler Road.

Newton and Watts didn't plan to buy the drugs from Allen; they planned to take them, investigators alleged. Allen and his friend were sitting inside a pickup truck in the parking lot when Newton and Watts approached on foot, Ford said.

The sides exchanged gunfire. Allen was shot in the head, the pickup truck driver was shot in the hand, and Watts was shot in the arm.

Detectives recovered all of the weapons used during the shooting, Ford said, and at least two of the firearms were stolen. Police found the guns outside of a residence in southern Greenville County. Officers located the firearms in the backyard underneath a vehicle behind the home. The residents, including a relative of Watts, had nothing to do with the shooting and didn't know the weapons were there, Ford said.

Newton and Watts each had a gun during the incident, although police aren't sure if both fired their weapon, Ford said.

It is not uncommon for drug deals to happen in public places, such as the parking lot of a fast food restaurant, Ford said. This shooting happened at a Bojangles located on a major thoroughfare and near Interstate 385.

"People that are meeting to sell, and doing drug activity, they do want to be safe also," Ford said. "They don't want to get robbed. They don't want to get hurt. So when you choose places like that to meet, you think it's an easy, safe turf to be on because it's public."

Watts, whose 20th birthday was Monday, had no arrest record prior to the fatal shooting, according to the state Law Enforcement Division. Newton was convicted of shoplifting in 2015, according to SLED arrest records.

Prior to the shooting, Newton had outstanding warrants, alleging marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, the Greenville County Sheriff's Office said. He was arrested Jan. 31 at Greenville Memorial Hospital after a deputy learned Newton gave him a fake name and he had active warrants, Deputy Drew Pinciaro said.

Mauldin police arrest 3 teens in Bojangles shooting

Staff writer Romando Dixson covers crime for The Greenville News. Follow this story and others through his Facebook page, Romando The Reporter.