Inset left: Charles Allen (Florence County Detention Center). Inset right: Quarius Dunham (Obituary). Background: The road near where Allen shot and killed Dunham in Florence, S.C. (Google Maps).
A South Carolina man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing an 8-year-old boy vacationing in the Palmetto State.
On Thursday, Charles Montgomery Allen, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of murder and five counts of attempted murder, according to Florence County court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
The defendant was subsequently sentenced to life in prison by General Sessions Court Judge Steven DeBerry IV for the shot that took the life of 8-year-old Quarius Dunham. The court also sentenced Allen to 30 years in prison for each attempted murder conviction.
The underlying incident occurred on May 28, 2022, on Long Old River Road in Florence County – some 90 miles due east of Columbia.
On the day in question, Allen was at home and randomly shooting at cars with a rifle and a shotgun, according to law enforcement.
“No motive. Just probably methed up. He”s got a history,” Florence County Sheriff TJ Joye told Florence-based CBS affiliate WBTW at the time. “He’s incarcerated now without incident. Just a senseless, senseless act.”
At the time, Quarius was visiting from out of state with his family, who hail from Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
The little boy was riding with his family in a car that passed by Allen’s house when he was shot and killed. A woman in the same car was also shot but survived, law enforcement told WBTW.
The fatal bullet struck Quarius in the neck. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was later taken off life support.
Allen fired at two other vehicles, authorities said. The child’s father was driving one of those vehicles and was also shot but survived.
Quarius was a third grade student at Little Harbour School when he died. The school district issued a statement after the shooting.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I share the sad news that one of our third grade students at LHS was killed this weekend,” Portsmouth Superintendent of Schools Steve Zadravec said. “His family was on vacation and were victims of a random shooting in South Carolina. An event like this touches our community as a whole. Our hearts are with the family as we support each other through this unbelievable tragedy.”
SWAT team members arrested Allen after he returned home. He was found with a large cache of weapons, authorities said.
“It’s sad. It’s heartbreaking,” the sheriff added. “We’ve got an 8-year-old shot for no reason. No reason.”
The defendant was originally also charged with several other crimes, including possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and multiple counts of discharging a firearm into a vehicle. Those lesser charges were dropped this week, court records show.
During his sentencing hearing, the condemned man’s attorney said his client accepted what he had done and, upon learning about the child’s death, hung his head in shame, according to a courtroom report by Florence-based ABC/CW affiliate WPDE.
Allen, for his part, also apologized.
A relative of the defendant also spoke up to directly address the victim’s family and said, “The only thing I can offer are my prayers.”
