On October 26, 2023, at about 3:39 a.m., deputies from the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office found 17-year-old Conner S. Chavis deceased at a scene in the Stanton Road area of Maxton, North Carolina. Chavis was a senior at Purnell Swett High School; the school system provided extra counselors as classmates and staff coped with the loss.

Investigators say a 17-year-old male from Maxton was arrested and charged with first-degree murder; his name has not been released because he is a juvenile. Authorities also report that two nearby homes and a vehicle were struck by gunfire before the fatal shooting. That alleged shooting activity led to the arrest of three more people: 19-year-old Tru Lowery of Lumberton, 23-year-old Jeremiah Chavis of Pembroke, and a 15-year-old from Lumberton, each charged with two counts of felony conspiracy and two counts of discharging a weapon into an occupied dwelling. The juveniles were placed in custody at the Cumberland Regional Juvenile Detention Center without bond; Lowery and Jeremiah Chavis were held at the Robeson County Detention Center without bond.

The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office Homicide and Criminal Investigations Divisions are investigating. If anyone has information about these incidents, contact the Sheriff’s Office at 910-671-3170.