NEWBERRY, S.C. — Two years after a 7-year-old was shot in the head, his killer has been found guilty of murder and sentenced to decades in prison.
On Thursday, a Newberry County jury found 28-year-old X'Zavier Sharif Davis guilty of murder, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature in the death of young Iven Caldwell.
The charges stem from a tragedy that unfolded in the early morning hours of April 20, 2019. According to prosecutors, Davis showed up drunk to the home of his estranged girlfriend and the mother of his son. Davis then busted a window on the door and made his way inside.
After being threatened by Davis, his estranged girlfriend took her three children and escaped through the back door.
The solicitor's office said that Davis responded to this by firing a revolver into the air multiple times before turning into the home to get another weapon.
"Davis then busted out the front door and fired eight shots from a 9mm handgun into the car occupied by his wife and the three children as she attempted to flee out of the driveway to the home," the solicitor's office continued.
One of those bullets struck his estranged girlfriend in the leg. The other hit 7-year-old Caldwell in the head, killing him. The other two children - a 3-year-old girl and a 10-month-old boy - weren't injured.
Judge Benjamin Culbertson sentenced Davis to 35 years in prison for murder, 20 years for assault, and five years in prison on the weapon charge. The murder and assault charges will be served concurrently. However, state law requires that the weapon charge be served consecutively, meaning that Davis will serve a total of 40 years in prison.