Salena Claybourne was a 35-year-old Black woman from Chicago, described by her family and colleagues as a hardworking, friendly, and thoughtful person who brightened up any room she entered. A security guard for Allied Universal posted at the WGN-TV studios, she was above all a devoted mother to her two teenage daughters, Saiaan, 15, and Armoore, 14. Her family, concerned about the city’s violence, had long urged her to move, and she had been planning to relocate at the end of March 2022.
On the afternoon of March 7, 2022, Salena finished her shift and stopped for gas at a Mobil station in the 6700 block of South Jeffery Boulevard in the South Shore neighborhood. Around 3 p.m., while on the phone with Antoine Moore Sr., the father of her daughters, she was ambushed. Moore heard her last words, "Oh my God!," followed by the sounds of a struggle and at least five gunshots.
After she pumped her gas and got back into her SUV, two brothers, Gregory Watson, 22, and Dameonte Watson, 17, had approached her vehicle from both sides in an attempt to carjack it. According to prosecutors, Gregory Watson leaned into the driver's side and, upon seeing the word "security" on Salena's uniform, panicked and opened fire. Salena was struck multiple times in her face and shoulder. She was rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
The investigation proceeded quickly, aided by extensive evidence. The entire attack was captured on the gas station’s surveillance cameras, and the attendant, who knew Salena as a regular customer, witnessed the shooting and later identified the brothers. Police arrested both suspects within an hour of the crime. Dameonte was found hiding under a porch, and Gregory was located in a nearby backyard. Additional surveillance video from private cameras showed the brothers fleeing the scene and hiding two handguns behind garages a few blocks away. Officers recovered the weapons, and ballistics testing matched shell casings from the gas station to one of the guns.
Both Gregory and Dameonte Watson were charged with first-degree murder and attempted vehicular hijacking, with Dameonte being charged as an adult. During questioning, Gregory Watson gave a video statement admitting they only wanted the car and that the shooting "wasn't supposed to happen." Both brothers were held without bail. In February 2025, they were found guilty of multiple counts of murder. The following July, Gregory Watson was sentenced to 60 years in prison, and Dameonte Watson received a sentence of 34 years.
