The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has charged a Gaffney man for allegedly hiding his son, following the shooting death of a Gaffney High School student at a bus stop in August.
SLED charged Reginald Barnes Sr. Tuesday with accessory after the fact, for allegedly hiding his son, Reginald Barnes Jr., from police on Aug. 12, following the killing of 17-year-old Jomiltron Fair as he attempted to board the school bus that morning.
“The defendant further lied to law enforcement when questioned about his son's involvement in the murder, his son's location, and offered an alibi that was known to be false,” the arrest report states.
The younger Barnes is being charged as an adult for murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
According to witnesses who live near the bus stop and to Gaffney City and Cherokee County officials, a fight broke out at the foot of a school bus on Aug. 12, just the third day of classes in Gaffney this year. They say Fair was attacked by another male. A fight broke out. Fair’s backpack was pulled away. His phone flew out, and then he was shot.
Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said Fair was pronounced dead at the scene, with 15 school students on the bus or at the stop as witnesses. The full story of the incident is available here.
