Gun was found in an odd spot — about a week after a shooting at same St. Helena store

An employee found a gun inside a box of cups in a St. Helena Island convenience store Wednesday morning, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office about a week after a shooting just outside.

The Sea Island Parkway Tiger Express employee was checking a storage room and found the pistol, according to the report. The firearm had 11 .380-caliber rounds in the magazine.

Because of the recent shooting just outside the store, the employee turned the gun over to the Sheriff’s Office, according to the report.

A man was shot at the same gas station on Nov. 6. He was taken to the Medical University of South Carolina with gunshot wounds to his arm. Several shots were fired at the victim from a nearby vehicle around 7:30 p.m. and the man returned fire.

Deputies are investigating to determine if the two incidents are connected.

This story was originally published November 16, 2017 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Gun was found in an odd spot — about a week after a shooting at same St. Helena store."