NEWBERRY COUNTY, S.C. —
A man who shot his live-in girlfriend and her son as she tried to get away from him is now facing murder charges after the child died, according to the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office.
X’Zavier Sharif Davis, 26, lived with his girlfriend, two of their children and the girlfriend’s son in a home on Cherry Lane, officials said.
Investigators said Davis had come home after midnight and found the door locked. He demanded the woman let him in, but she and the children had gone to bed, investigators said.
Sheriff Lee Foster said in a Facebook post that Davis then got into the house and began yelling at the woman and her children. Davis’ girlfriend gathered up her children and left through a back door, Foster said.
“As she fled the property, Davis opened fire with a handgun, hitting the car several times,” Foster said.
Foster said the woman was hit by the gunfire, and as she was driving to Newberry County Memorial Hospital, she realized her 7-year-old son, Iven James Caldwell, had also been shot.
Because of the seriousness of his injuries, Iven was transferred to a Columbia hospital, Foster said.
Deputies went to the home on Cherry Lane and found Davis had locked himself inside. After a brief time, deputies said they were able to talk Davis into coming out of the house and took him into custody without incident.
Davis was initially charged with four counts of assault and battery with intent to kill.
Newberry County Coroner Laura Kneece said Iven died of his injuries Monday afternoon.
Foster said one of the charges against Davis will be upgraded to murder.
Davis is being held without bond in the Newberry County Detention Center.
“As a parent, my heart just aches for the mother and children who had to watch this child be shot and eventually die from this senseless act of violence,” Foster said. “It is simply abhorrent to me that this child’s life was taken because of the willful, senseless and reckless actions of this suspect.”
Foster thanked the staff of Newberry County Memorial Hospital for their “heroic and compassionate care of the victims.”
He also thanked the staff for their patience because the emergency department had to be treated as a crime scene during the investigation.
There was no immediate update on the girlfriend’s condition. Her name has not been released.
