Beaufort Co. man convicted of shooting family member during argument about trash

A Sheldon man was convicted of attempted murder for a 2016 shooting of his brother-in-law during an argument about piled-up garbage.

Joseph Brown, 37, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the attempted murder conviction and five years for a weapons violation on Thursday. He was found guilty by a Beaufort County General Sessions Court on Wednesday, says a news release from the 14th Judicial Solicitor’s Office.

During a family dispute about trash piling-up, Brown pulled out a .38-caliber revolver and shot his father-in-law, Ronnie Black and brother-in-law, Greg Black.

Ronnie Black, who also had a weapon on him, died from the injuries. Greg Black, who had his back turned, was shot in the buttocks and in his thigh — near his femoral artery, the release says.

“Joseph Brown turned a family disagreement into a violent confrontation and tried to kill his brother-in-law without provocation,” said Kimberly Smith of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. “In fact, a fraction of an inch difference in the path of a bullet is all that separated Greg Black from the serious injury he suffered and his death.”

The release says Ronnie Black started an argument about trash piled up inside the house. It says the argument happened to occur just after hearing a suspicious sound that made him grab his gun.

Greg Black asked for the argument to be moved to the porch so it wouldn’t happen in front of children in the home. As the argument continued on the porch, Brown exited his vehicle and took part in the dispute.

During the family argument, Brown struck Ronnie Black multiple times in the head with his gun and shot him four times in the torso and arm, the release says. He was charged with Ronnie Black’s murder but a jury acquitted him of the charges on Wednesday.

This story was originally published September 20, 2018 at 7:06 PM.