A routine transaction inside a Spartanburg vape shop turned deadly on the evening of Tuesday, January 6, 2026. According to authorities, 32-year-old Thomas Raheem was shot multiple times behind the counter after a verbal confrontation escalated when an 18-year-old, Javvon Leg, allegedly asked Raheem to buy tobacco products and Raheem declined. Security camera footage reportedly captured the fight and the shooting.

Police were called around 7:10 p.m. for a fight in progress; the call was updated to a shooting before officers arrived. Raheem was found on the floor with two gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. Leg and a 16-year-old companion tried to flee by vehicle but were apprehended as police arrived. Investigators say the suspects and victim were not known to one another prior to the incident.

Javvon Leg was arrested and charged with murder; bond was denied and further court proceedings were scheduled for March. The 16-year-old was also taken into custody. Raheem’s death was one of three homicides in Spartanburg during the first week of 2026. Did anyone in Spartanburg see or hear anything near East Main Street that evening that could help clarify what happened?