Two teenagers were killed and a third person was wounded in a Halloween-night shooting in the parking lot of a Cook Out restaurant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, police said, in a case that remained without a named suspect or a confirmed motive on Monday, November 2, 2026. The Spartanburg shooting victims were identified by the Spartanburg County Coroner's Office as Jayden Marek Watson, 15, and Shane Carter Dawkins, 17, both of Spartanburg, who died shortly after midnight after being taken to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center.

Key Points

• Two teenagers were killed in a shooting at a Cook Out on John B. White Sr. Boulevard in Spartanburg on Halloween night, October 31, 2026.
• The victims were Jayden Marek Watson, 15, pronounced dead at 12:04 a.m. November 1, and Shane Carter Dawkins, 17, pronounced dead at 12:10 a.m.
• A third person was injured and taken to hospital by a family member; police said those injuries were not considered life-threatening.
• Spartanburg Police Chief Art Littlejohn said the teenagers had been out after trick-or-treating and were getting something to eat when someone opened fire.
• As of Monday morning, November 2, no suspects had been identified and no arrests had been announced; a separate stabbing at a Cook Out in Greenville is not believed to be connected.

What Happened

Spartanburg police officers were dispatched at about 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, to the Cook Out on John B. White Sr. Boulevard after multiple reports of a shooting, Chief Art Littlejohn said. When officers arrived, they found Watson and Dawkins suffering from gunshot wounds in the restaurant's parking lot. Both teenagers were treated at the scene and then taken to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, where they later died from their injuries.

The Spartanburg County Coroner's Office said it was called to the hospital shortly after midnight and began a joint investigation with the Spartanburg Police Department. Watson was pronounced dead at 12:04 a.m. on November 1 and Dawkins at 12:10 a.m., according to the coroner's office. Forensic examinations were scheduled for both teenagers as investigators worked to establish further details about their deaths.

A third victim was also injured in the shooting and was transported to hospital by a family member, police said. That person's injuries were not considered life-threatening. Police have not released that person's name or age.

Background: A Halloween Night Out Turns Deadly

Chief Littlejohn described the teenagers as young people who had simply been out enjoying Halloween night. "What is so sad is that it's young people, good young people, just out having a good time," he said. "If you've been a teenager before, you've been out before hanging with your friends, just having fun... the young people that were here were not bad young people."

Littlejohn said the teenagers had been getting a bite to eat after trick-or-treating when, in his words, someone irresponsible pulled out a gun and "started shooting." He added: "They have names, they have families. They're young people who grew up here and went to school here."

The shooting was one of several violent incidents reported across the United States over Halloween weekend, many of them in nightlife districts and near college campuses. In Bloomington, Illinois, a 19-year-old woman was killed and seven other people were injured in a shooting near Illinois Wesleyan University in the early hours of November 1, while in Newark, Delaware, six people were injured in a shooting on Main Street near the University of Delaware on Halloween night. Spartanburg police have not said whether the South Carolina shooting is connected to any other incident.

Spartanburg Cook Out Shooting Investigation

Investigators have been working since the shooting to determine what sparked the violence and who may be responsible, police said. Littlejohn said investigators were collecting information around the case and gathering witness accounts. "Right now our investigators are continuing to work around the clock... If you saw something, share the information with us," he said.

As of the morning of November 2, no suspects had been identified and no arrests had been announced, according to police and local reporting. Police asked anyone who was at the Cook Out on Saturday night, witnessed the shooting, or may have information about the case to contact the Spartanburg Police Department.

The coroner's office said the investigation remained a joint effort with police, and that forensic examinations would assist in establishing additional details. No motive has been disclosed, and police have not said whether the victims knew the shooter or whether more than one person fired.

Reactions and Quotes

Littlejohn's comments framed the case as a loss felt across a community where the victims had grown up and gone to school. "What is so sad is that it's young people, good young people, just out having a good time," he said, stressing that the teenagers "were not bad young people" and were "just kids" out on Halloween night.

A South Carolina congressional candidate, Courtney McClain, also responded to the shooting in a social media post, writing: "Our youth deserve to see the age of 18, and I will work to ensure that becomes a reality," and calling for sweeping gun-safety measures after the deaths.

Local reporting also noted the reaction of families and residents in Spartanburg, where the deaths of two teenagers on a night normally associated with trick-or-treating and community celebrations have renewed attention on youth safety and gun violence.

Why It Matters

The Spartanburg shooting matters because it combines two patterns that have run through Halloween weekend: teenagers killed in a public place on a night when young people are out in large numbers, and an investigation that, days later, still has no suspect. For families in Spartanburg, the immediate questions are who opened fire in a restaurant parking lot and why. For police, the case now depends heavily on witnesses, video and forensic work, since no arrest has yet been made.

The case also sits within a wider national conversation about gun violence involving young people. The victims were 15 and 17, neither had reached adulthood, and both died within minutes of each other in the first minutes of November 1. That context, and the chief's insistence that they were simply out having fun, is why the story has travelled beyond South Carolina.

What Happens Next

Spartanburg police and the coroner's office will continue the investigation, with forensic examinations of both victims scheduled and witness appeals ongoing. Police have asked anyone with information, photographs or video from the Cook Out on Saturday night to come forward. Any arrest, identification of a suspect, or statement of motive would be the next major development in the case.

Separately, investigators in Greenville will continue to pursue the stabbing case at a Cook Out on Woodruff Road, where three men were wounded early on November 1. Authorities have not indicated the two Cook Out incidents are connected, and the Greenville sheriff's office has described that stabbing as appearing to be an isolated incident.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who were the victims of the Spartanburg Cook Out shooting?
Jayden Marek Watson, 15, of Hartnett Drive in Spartanburg, and Shane Carter Dawkins, 17, of Thackston Drive in Spartanburg. Both died at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center shortly after midnight on November 1, 2026.

When did the shooting happen?
Police were dispatched at about 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, 2026, to the Cook Out on John B. White Sr. Boulevard in Spartanburg, after multiple reports of a shooting in the parking lot.

Was anyone arrested?
No. As of the morning of Monday, November 2, police said no suspects had been identified and no arrests had been announced.

Was a third person injured?
Yes. A third victim was injured and taken to hospital by a family member; police said those injuries were not considered life-threatening.

Is the Greenville Cook Out stabbing connected?
Authorities have not indicated the two incidents are connected. Three men were wounded in a stabbing at a Cook Out on Woodruff Road in Greenville early on November 1, and all three are expected to recover.

Related coverage: Bloomington, Illinois Shooting: 19-Year-Old Woman Killed, 7 Others Hurt Near Campus and Newark, Delaware Shooting Closes Main Street Near University Campus.