Lexington, SC 11/25,2021 (Paul Kirby) – Two Lexington County men were convicted and sentenced on charges that stemmed from the shooting death of William Tyrone Gantt and injury to one other person last week. This is according to a statement from the office of 11th Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard.
According to that statement, Soli Shantrez Alejandro Robertson, age 26, and Donovan Tirrell Brannon, age 33, were each convicted of one count of Murder and one count Attempted Murder for the shooting death of Gantt and the injury of another victim. After their conviction, Circuit Court Judge Walton McLeod imposed a 32-year sentence for Robertson and a 34-year sentence for Brannon following a jury trial that took place last week. Under South Carolina law, Robertson and Brannon are not eligible for parole dur to the nature of the offenses.
According to facts that were presented during the trial, in the early morning hours of June 6, 2015, around 3:00 a.m., a verbal altercation between two groups turned deadly outside of a nightclub called “The Spot”. This is located off Parrish Road in the Batesburg-Leesville area of Lexington County. Investigators say that shots were fired by multiple individuals. When authorities arrived on the scene, William Gantt was found deceased from a total of 5 gunshot wounds. A second victim also had 2 gunshot wounds. The second victim survived their injuries from the incident.
Evidence obtained by Lexington County Sheriff’s investigators after the incident concluded indicated that the shooting started after Robertson and Brannon, along with others from their group, followed the victims and a group of others outside of the club. Eyewitnesses to the shooting testified that as Robertson and Brannon were approaching the group, they already had armed themselves with pistols and were looking for members of the other group. Witnesses said the suspects thought the other men had been disrespectful towards them during an incident that occurred earlier in the night inside the club. Following a brief verbal altercation, Robertson and Brannon, along with other individuals in their group, discharged a total of 34 rounds, seven of which caused the injuries to Gantt and Jeffrey. In addition to eyewitness testimony, cell phone data from both Robertson and Brannon was presented at trial. That data placed them at the scene of the shooting and established the timeline of the shooting as well as their departure from the scene of the shooting. This information was investigated and compiled with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cast team.
The case was prosecuted by Eleventh Circuit Senior Assistant Solicitor Sutania Fuller and Senior Assistant Solicitor Robby McNair. During the State’s closing argument, Fuller highlighted evidence of “malice aforethought” represented by the 34 shots being fired by Robertson, Brannon and others in their group. Under South Carolina law, responsibility for the death of Gantt, and injuries to the second victim, is implied to all of the shooters under the “Hand of one, Hand of all” theory of criminal responsibility.
Robertson and Brannon have been transported to the S.C. Department of Corrections to begin immediate service of their sentences.
PHOTO: (L) ROBERTSON (R) BRANNON
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