Lexington County man sentenced for murder on Fish Hatchery Road

LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - A 22-year-old Lexington County man was convicted by a Lexington County jury for the murder of Barry Joe Chavis, Jr., on March 27, 2020, in the Gaston area of Lexington County.

Christopher David Shumpert was sentenced to forty years without parole for the 3630 Fish Hatchery Road murder.

Shumpert was also sentenced to twenty years for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and five years for possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

According to officials, Barry Joe Chavis Jr. was shot and killed in his front yard after being confronted by Shumpert and his codefendant after an argument about money.

Officials say Barry Joe Chavis, Jr. was shot and killed by Christopher Shumpert on March 27.(State of SC (Eleventh Circuit Solicitor’s Office))

After the altercation, Shumpert and his codefendant both fired guns toward Chavis, who was unarmed.

The men fired twenty-one rounds at the victim and struck him twice in the back.

Another person was also shot twice, once in the leg and once in the stomach.

That victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment and released days later.

Several witnesses at the scene identified Shumpert and his codefendant as the shooters and law enforcement began a search for them.

The codefendant was caught in Lexington County later that night while the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division tracking team found Shumpert at a hotel in Aiken County early the next morning.

Both Shumpert and his codefendant were charged with murder, attempted murder, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

The codefendant’s charges are still pending.

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