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2 teens charged in student's death, Sheriff suggests existence of fight club

STAFF REPORTS
Published on Tuesday, May 9, 2017

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Antonio Panuamba, 17, a student at Byrnes, was shot and killed Friday night.
 

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Antonio Panuamba, 17, a student at Byrnes, was shot and killed Friday night.

 



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Travis “Trapp” Emil Jones, 19, is charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Spartanburg Detention Center

Travis “Trapp” Emil Jones, 19, is charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.



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Marcos Enrique Hildago Orduna, 17, is charged with attempted murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
 

Spartanburg Detention Center

Marcos Enrique Hildago Orduna, 17, is charged with attempted murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

 

Two teens were charged in the shooting death of a Byrnes High School student and Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright said there was a planned fight at a location to resolve an issue when guns were brought out.

However, a deputy refuted that claim stating the shooting materialized from an earlier disagreement and both parties of the issue agreed to meet settle the argument.

Antonio Panuamba, 17, a student at Byrnes, was shot and killed Friday night on Larkin Park Drive, according to Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger.

Travis “Trapp” Emil Jones, 19, is charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Marcos Enrique Hildago Orduna, 17, is charged with attempted murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Both Jones and Orduna are being held at the Spartanburg County Detention Center.

Reportedly:

• Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright said there was a fight and guns were brought to it.

• Both sides met at an agreed location to resolve a disagreement when guns were brought out. Shots were then fired, according to deputies.

• An investigation is ongoing that a fight club is in Spartanburg county, according to Wright during Tuesday’s news conference.

What they said:

Sheriff Wright on a fight club:

“I’ve been made aware that there might be a fight club going around here in Spartanburg County. Let me make you aware that I know that – and don’t think that we’re not trying to monitor social media to try to find out where these are and we will put charges on whoever we need to. So, I’m trying to give you a warning. If you go take boxing lessons, fine. But these fight clubs are off limits, and you need to cut them out right now.

“This is nothing new. A fight club is – among teenagers – this is how they settle their differences. I know they’re getting if off social media, because you can see it on Facebook. It happens a lot in the bigger cities, and stuff like that, where they pit one guy or girl against another and they like to film them and put it online and we’re not going to tolerate that. And I’m asking all the school districts to start looking into those kind of things and help us with that. I mean, it’s nonsense. … You know, there’s a lot of people getting hurt for no reason. This escalated into a murder – for no reason.”

• Lt. Kevin Bobo response to Wright’s news conference:

"Although Sheriff Wright spoke about information he had received about fight clubs among young people, our investigation shows this incident stemmed from a dispute that occurred earlier last week, both sides of the dispute met at incident location Friday in an attempt to resolve the matter, but that attempt failed when guns were brought out and used.

"This tragic incident doesn’t need to be confused with other incidents where young people meet to fight for sport or entertainment value, money may be involved, and the incident is filmed by someone so that it can be posted on a social media platform. We would also reiterate the request from the victim’s family that their privacy be requested during this difficult time."

• District Five Schools on Tony Panuamba’s death:

“We are incredibly saddened whenever we hear of the death of a student in District Five, and this tragedy is no different. Tony was due to graduate soon, and had his whole future ahead of him. We’re heartbroken to know that future has been cut short, and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”

• District Five Schools Superintendent Dr. Scott Turner on Panuamba’s death and implication of a fight club:

“District Five is at the forefront of intervention services with our students and families on a daily basis. We partner with law enforcement, social services, and other support agencies to help our students make wise choices.

"While we are not aware of what the sheriff calls a fight club, we certainly would be eager to have access to the information he referenced in his press conference. It may allow us to inform our community, which is where this event occurred.”

 

 

 

 

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