Police still mum on shooting deaths of 3 Lancaster men

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Monday that the slayings of three men found shot to death in a house near Pineville on Friday appear to be drug-related and not a random act of violence, based on initial information gathered in the investigation. The triple homicide has prompted involvement from investigators in both Carolinas.

Because all three victims were from Lancaster, S.C., Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are working with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office to determine if there are any connections between the Pineville deaths and a Lancaster killing late last month.

“We sent investigators up on Friday, and we continue to be in touch with Charlotte-Meck,” Lancaster Sheriff’s Office spokesman Doug Barfield said.

Among the dead in Charlotte on Friday were brothers Naquavis Aqueece Benson, 29, and Jarvis Mandrell Benson, 28. A third victim, Javarius Deshawn McGee, had turned 30 a day before investigators found him dead in the home on China Grove Church Road.

Police said the shootings do not appear to have been random, but have not indicated whether they are looking for suspects.

The killings bring Charlotte’s homicide tally to 60 this year. Police investigated 42 homicides in 2014, the lowest since uniform crime statistics have been kept.

It’s the second triple slaying in the city this year. Police charged two men with murder in the February deaths of Jonathan Alvarado, Jusmar Isiah Gonzaha-Garcia and Mirjana Puhar, a former contestant on “America’s Next Top Model.”

Friday’s slayings shook family members and friends, who spent hours waiting for authorities to confirm whether their loved ones were the dead men inside the house. Relatives said the trio were celebrating McGee’s birthday at the home where Naquavis Benson, a father and culinary student in Charlotte, lived.

His brother, Jarvis Benson, leaves behind two children with another on the way.

They had also recently mourned the loss of a friend, 29-year-old Carlos Antonio Massey, whose car ran into an apartment after he had been shot Nov. 29, Lancaster Sheriff’s deputies said. No arrests have been made.

Barfield said there’s no evidence showing the two homicides are related but his office continues to work with Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.

The Lancaster chapter of the National Action Network civil rights group will hold a news conference Tuesday about a recent spate of violence and killings. Attending the news conference will be the Bensons’ mother.

Meanwhile, the family of the Benson brothers is seeking help to pay for their funeral expenses. Employers for LaVerne McGriff, the brothers’ mother, have created a GoFundMe page, which by Monday morning collected over $1,700 of the $20,000 needed to bury her sons.

A reward of up to $5,000 is offered through Crime Stoppers, 704-334-1600.

The Herald contributed.

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 6:41 AM with the headline "Police still mum on shooting deaths of 3 Lancaster men."