SC gas station owners faces lawsuit after man was fatally shot, lawyer says
A family is suing a Columbia gas station after their son was fatally riddled with gunshots at the store this past summer, an attorney says.
The family of Deshawn J. Carroway is suing CK Mart after the 29-year-old was shot multiple times and killed in July on the store’s property, located at the 2200 Block of Broad River Road. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday by Attorney Tyler Bailey of the Bailey Law firm.
Bailey contends the store has habitually turned a blind eye toward fatal shootings, drug overdoses and sexual assaults leading up to Carroway’s death. As a result, Carroway mother, Ronieca Dunbar, alleges in a wrongful death suit that the convenience store was grossly negligent and reckless in the death of her son.
The State attempted to contact CK Acquisitions, CK Mart’s parent company, for comment.
“I can’t even explain or describe how I feel,” Dwayne Carroway, Deshawn’s father, said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon at the CK Mart. “To know that other families have (gone) through this, that other deaths have happened here, drug (usage) and people being sexually molested ... and these people don’t do anything to help.
On July 2 around 4 a.m., Carroway made a stop at the CK Mart where he was met by an unknown man who began arguing with him, according to the suit. The man had been loitering at the store for several hours prior to Carroway’s arrival, the suit said.
The man followed Carroway inside the store and continued the confrontation before leaving the store to retrieve a handgun from his vehicle, the lawsuit said. The man then reentered the store and continued harassing Carroway.
As Carroway attempted to return to his car, parked at one of the station’s gas pumps, he was shot multiple times by the man and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooter was later identified as Desmond Coleman, 29, who was arrested and charged with murder in August. Coleman has yet to appear before a judge, according to court records.
The family “want accountability for the owners (of CK Mart) who are profiting off this area but ... not taking care of the community where they’re doing business,” Bailey said.
The lawsuit cites multiple incidents that have been reported at the store, including an alleged sexual assault, a shooting in 2021, where a person was critically injured, and a fatal shooting in 2022. Bailey said there have been calls to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and the Richland County Council that the gas station be shuttered for its failure to keep patrons safe.
“They can try and make money, but they can’t keep people safe and ... (nothing can replace) the depth of pain that the parents, family and friends of Deshawn feel,” Bailey said.
Dwayne Carroway and Dunbar have joined in asking the community to help close the gas station.
“Another family should not have to go through this because of (CK Mart’s) negligence,” Dunbar said. “So ... please help us get this place closed down and (secure) justice for my son, because they’re just as fault for my son’s death as the shooters.”
“We’re trying to heal from a hurt that seems insurmountable,” Dwayne Carroway said. “This place needs to be removed.”
This story was originally published November 12, 2025 at 4:21 PM.
