2 grandparents shot after SC man reportedly became upset over children’s noise

A 64-year-old Goose Creek area man is accused of shooting at a family, striking both grandparents, after reportedly being upset over the noise a couple of children were making Monday afternoon.

George Merritt faces four counts of attempted murder, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and unlawful carrying of a pistol, according to online Berkeley County records. His bond was not set late Tuesday afternoon, according to the site.

Both the grandmother and grandfather were shot, but they have been hospitalized and are expected to recover, according to The Post and Courier. No one else was injured.

Merritt allegedly told an 8-year-old boy and 1-year-old girl who were playing in the road near his Gator Road home near Goose Creek to be quiet, the newspaper reported. After the children’s grandparents told Merritt not to yell at the children, he allegedly went back inside his home and came out again with a .22-caliber pistol.

The man reportedly confronted the grandparents and the children’s mother, saying the mother and the baby she was holding were going to die. He then allegedly fired several shots and “followed them a short distance as they scattered.”

Merritt went back into his home where he remained until Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office deputies came and arrested him, according to the newspaper.

This story was originally published May 23, 2017 at 5:56 PM with the headline "2 grandparents shot after SC man reportedly became upset over children’s noise."