Shontis Devon ’Chontsy’ Peak, a 21-year-old Black man, was shot and killed in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on September 28, 1996. The shooting happened in daylight outside an apartment building while Peak was seated in the back of a car. No gun was found on Peak.

The shooter was 16-year-old Marcus Robinson. The pair argued before Robinson drew a .380-caliber pistol and fired multiple times. Robinson told police he acted in self-defense, saying Peak had threatened him and appeared to be reaching for a weapon. Robinson was charged as an adult with voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm during a violent crime.

A jury convicted Robinson of voluntary manslaughter after about four hours of deliberation. The judge imposed consecutive sentences totaling 27 years: 22 years for manslaughter and five years for the weapons conviction, with no possibility of parole. Anyone with information about Peak or the events that led to his death is asked to come forward.