ORANGEBURG, SC (WCSC) – Attorney Dave Pascoe says a man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for a murder he committed in 2019.
25-year-old Tyler Givens was convicted of the murder of 20-year-old Benedict College student Donovan Smalls.
Givens also injured a student at Clafin College University in the shooting.
The Orangeburg County jury convicted Givens of murder, aggravated assault and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
Surveillance video captured on April 14, 2019, of about 100 people attending a house party on Summers Avenue in Orangeburg, showing the suspect returning to his vehicle to retrieve his gun.
He then returned to the street and fired ten shots into the crowd, killing both victims.
Givens then returned to his car and drove away from the scene. Shortly after 2 a.m. a shot was fired and many people fled the scene.
Smalls was shot while attempting to escape and was pronounced dead at the scene due to head injuries.
The Claflin student was shot in the chest but fully recovered from her injuries.
According to attorney Dave Pascoe, both victims were unharmed in the incident.
At the verdict, Small's mother said she had to accept her son's degree in electrical engineering.
Benedict College honored Smalls by leaving a chair containing his robe and hat empty at its graduation ceremony.
The jury deliberated for two hours before finding Givens guilty on all counts.
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