Bojangles customers wanted chicken, got hail of bullets at drive-thru, SC suit says

They ordered Bojangles Chicken Supremes but got served with a hail of gunfire at the pickup window from a restaurant employee.

That’s the crux of a lawsuit in which the Bojangles fast food chain is being sued in South Carolina state court over an incident where one of its Lexington County employees leaned out the pickup window and allegedly fired multiple pistol rounds at two customers in their vehicle.

The Bojangles worker, Donte Simpson, then jumped out the pickup window and kept firing at the vehicle as it left, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit alleges that Bojangles was grossly negligent in failing to properly train and supervise Simpson. It seeks an unspecified amount of actual and punitive damages from the company.

The plaintiff in the lawsuit, Clayanna Walker-Thomas, then 17, of West Columbia, was severely injured, as was her boyfriend, who was driving, the lawsuit alleged.

Walker-Thomas “and her boyfriend were shot numerous times at close range through the drive-thru service window by Defendants’ employee, Donte Simpson... (Walker-Thomas), in fear for her life and limb, and while bleeding profusely from multiple gunshot wounds, managed to take control of the vehicle and drove to the nearest hospital for emergency medical treatment,” the lawsuit alleged.

Her injuries caused her to miss work, lose wages and suffer “shock, embarrassment, and mental distress, past, present, and future,” the lawsuit said.

“She still has a bullet in her leg the doctors can’t remove,” said Columbia attorney Michael Parks, who with attorney P. Jason Reynolds represents Walker-Thomas.

The lawsuit also asserts that before Simpson appeared at the pickup window and began firing, another Bojangles employee, Marterius Byrd, was at the window arguing with the driver of the vehicle.

The subject of the argument was not mentioned in the lawsuit.

Police originally charged Byrd with several criminal offenses, but after reviewing the evidence, the 11th Judicial Circuit solitor’s office dropped the charges.

“My client was innocent,” Byrd’s attorney, Rep. Seth Rose, D-Richland, told The State, explaining that no evidence, such as footage from surveillance cameras, indicated criminal activity on Byrd’s part.

Simpson, the alleged shooter, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, one count of criminal conspiracy, one count of possession of a weapon during a violent crime and one count of unlawfully carrying a gun.

Simpson’s bond status could not be ascertained. The charges are pending.

Simpson’s lawyer, public defender Jean Popowski, could not be reached.

11th Circuit Solicitor’s office prosecutor on the case, Rhonda Patterson, said the charges against Simpson are pending. He was denied bond on the attempted murder charges and is still behind bars. No trial date has yet been set.

The incident took place around 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 28, 2024, at the West Columbia Bojangles at 1200 Augusta Road, according to a West Columbia police incident report.

“I met with the staff all of who(m) stated that an employee fired multiple rounds from inside the restaurant through the drive-through window into a vehicle. They also stated he then jumped through the drive-through window and left on foot,” an investigating officer wrote on the incident report.

Bojangles, headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is a privately-held fast food chain known for its fried chicken, biscuits and sweet iced tea. The chain has more than 800 outlets in 20 states and 9,000 employees.

Reynolds, Walker-Thomas’ attorney, said he hopes the lawsuit not only helps his client but that it also “sheds light on the failures of this particular Bojangles franchise, and forces them to evaluate and modify their hiring, training and employee supervision policies and procedures so that such an unfathomable situation does not happen to anyone else.”

Bojangles did not respond to a request for comment.

This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 12:33 PM.