Donte Simpson, an 18-year-old from West Columbia, has pled guilty to Attempted Murder and Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature in Lexington County. Circuit Court Judge Debra R. McCaslin sentenced Simpson to sixteen (16) years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections, with both sentences to run concurrently.
Under South Carolina law, Attempted Murder is classified as a most serious, violent, no-parole offense. Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature is also classified as a serious, violent, no-parole offense.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Solicitor Rhonda Patterson on behalf of the Solicitor’s Office, with the investigation conducted by the West Columbia Police Department.
According to investigators, the incident occurred on December 28, 2024, at a Bojangles located at 1200 Augusta Road in West Columbia. While working at the restaurant, Simpson became involved in an incident stemming from a verbal exchange between a coworker and a customer at the drive-thru window.
Witness statements and surveillance video revealed that after the exchange, the coworker approached Simpson and spoke with him. Simpson then briefly went to the drive-thru window, looked at the customers, and walked away.
Moments later, Simpson returned to the drive-thru area, pushed the coworker aside, and fired multiple shots at the customers through the window. He then climbed through the window and continued shooting at the victims as they fled the scene.
Responding officers recovered seventeen (17) shell casings and a firearm magazine at the scene. Simpson’s work uniform and identification were also found in the parking lot.
Both victims sustained multiple gunshot wounds and were treated at a local hospital. Investigators found no evidence that either victim was armed. The investigation did indicate there may have been prior issues between Simpson and the driver.
Simpson fled the scene and was later apprehended on January 8, 2025, at a local hotel.
He will now be transported to the South Carolina Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.
